Syrian anti-narcotics units allegedly thwarted a large-scale drug smuggling attempt from Lebanese territory, but the suspects were able to escape arrest by retreating into Lebanon, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry.
Describing a “limited clash,” the ministry did not explain how the suspects were able to escape arrest.
The drugs had been intended for distribution to Jordan and Arab Gulf states, the ministry said on Monday, and the operation had involved an ambush organized based on “accurate and reliable information.”
The seizure was said to include 106 kg. of hashish, 650,000 Captagon pills, and 60 gr. of marijuana, along with a number of other chemical stimulants.
Sharaa regime credited with curbing Middle East, North Africa Captagon trade
Captagon, the street name for amphetamine fenethylline, was a drug used by the Assad regime to raise billions for the dictatorship as sanctions and diplomatic isolation pushed the economy to rely heavily on the illicit trade, according to the UN.
Eighty percent of the pills confiscated since 2019 are understood to have originated in Syria, according to research published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime last week.
Since December 2024, Syria has dismantled 15 industrial-level laboratories and 13 smaller facilities for storage, according to the UNODC, which noted that 2025 has seen a greater number of seizures than ever before.
The highly addictive stimulant, which has been colloquially labeled the “jihadi pill” due to its abuse by terrorist groups, has been the main drug of concern in the Gulf states and parts of North Africa for several years. Following the regime’s crackdown, the UNODC shared that the price for Captagon had increased in the Gulf – indicating that the regime has successfully disrupted much of the regional trade.
While the regime’s crackdown has had an apparent impact on the drug trade, the UN authority warned that stockpiles likely still exist within Syria, and traffickers continue to use new technology to transport the substance across borders.
Since December 2024, a minimum of 177 million Captagon tablets have been intercepted across the Arab region, according to the research.
“While the drug market expanded in recent years, it divided the region, but the need for action is now bringing it together,” said Bo Mathiasen, UNODC director of operations.
Mathiasen added that greater cooperation between countries within the region, leading to intelligence sharing, had also been a key component to cracking down on the trade.
Angela Me, chief of research and analysis at UNODC, warned in June that the drug was being synthesized in parts of Libya and slowly spreading to the West.