Drug Trafficking

Sharaa regime credited with disrupting Assad-era Captagon empire in major drug bust

The Syrian Interior Ministry claimed to have thwarted an attempt to smuggle nearly 650,000 Captagon pills and other drugs from Lebanon, though no arrests were announced.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
The Syrian anti-narcotics unit allegedly thwarted a large-scale drug smuggling attempt from Lebanese territory, but alleged the suspects were able to escape arrest by retreating into Lebanon.
Three Israelis were arrested for possession of narcotics and psychotropic substances for sale, drug use, and possession of untaxed electronic cigarettes after Thai police conducted a raid on a “drug party” in Koh Phangan, Thailand on January 6, 2026

Thai Police arrest four Israelis following raid on ‘drug party’ in Koh Phangan

The four Israeli nationals were charged with joint possession of narcotics and psychotropic substances for sale, drug use, and possession of untaxed electronic cigarettes.

|ByYOAV ETIEL
An activist holds a poster that reads ‘Condemns Donald Trump’s military aggression in Venezuela’, during an anti-US protest, after the US struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, outside the US Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 6, 2026.

Obtuse global piracy in Venezuela: Trump's illegal actions shatters US world standing - opinion

His invasion of Venezuela to seize its oil, under the pretense of combating drug trafficking, shatters the US's moral, legal, and ideological standing, while also violating international law

|ByALON BEN-MEIR
Israel Police seize 42.5kg. of cannabis in a Tel Aviv apartment, January 7, 2026.

WATCH: Israel Police raid cannabis dens in Tel Aviv apartment, find drug bags in Haifa vehicle

Israel Police raided an apartment in Tel Aviv’s Kfar Shalem, seizing 42.5 kilograms of suspected cannabis, while separate operations in Haifa led to additional arrests and drug seizures.

|ByJAMES GENN

Three killed in US strike on drug-trafficking vessel in Carribean, Hegseth says

US military conducted a lethal strike on a vessel operated by a drug trafficking organization, says US Defense Secretary Hegseth. Russia condemns "excessive military force."

NOVEMBER 2, 2025ByREUTERS
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - United States Defence Ministers Hi-Tea as part of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 1, 2025.

US military strike on suspected drug vessel kills four

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the ship "was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling."

OCTOBER 30, 2025ByREUTERS
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, after a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers at the Alliance headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium October 15, 2025.

As Gaza ceasefire holds, Trump shifts focus from Middle East to Asia, South America - analysis

As tensions ease in Gaza, Trump’s diplomatic push toward Asia and South America marks a strategic pivot, with trade deals and peace efforts on the horizon.

OCTOBER 27, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump meets with Japan's Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan October 27, 2025

Syria arrests Assad relative tied to $2 billion Captagon empire

Authorities say Namir Badi’ Assad was seized in Al-Qardaha with alleged partners as part of a wider post-regime crackdown on drug and arms networks.

OCTOBER 19, 2025ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Namir Assad.