Syria seizes Captagon with Turkish backing amid drug trade boom
The new Islamist government in Syria has prioritized dismantling the Captagon trade, but the industry is still thriving.
Syria announced a major drug bust in cooperation with Turkish intelligence on Wednesday, demonstrating the transitional government’s growing security ties with Turkey and efforts to combat the flourishing narcotics trade.
The Interior Ministry announced that the country’s Anti-Narcotics Department seized 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of drug-making equipment as well as an unspecified “large” quantity of Captagon pills in the Damascus suburb of Yafour.
The area is located about 13 miles (21 kilometers) west of Damascus and 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) east of the Lebanese border.
The ministry said that the contraband was stored in food containers and large vessels buried underground, adding that several arrests were made at the site. They described the seizure as a joint operation with Turkish intelligence.
