In the aftermath of Syria’s devastating war and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the country faces a new and complex battle: dismantling the entrenched networks behind the billion-dollar Captagon drug trade. What began as a wartime revenue stream has since evolved into a deeply rooted parallel economy, posing serious challenges to national stability and regional security.
A War-Born Drug Empire
Throughout the years of civil conflict, Syria emerged as a regional hub for the production and smuggling of Captagon, an addictive amphetamine that quickly became the financial lifeline of Assad’s regime. According to Euronews, the trade is believed to have generated over $9 billion annually during its peak, fueling a shadow economy that thrived even as the country’s formal financial systems collapsed.
Following Assad’s ouster, the transitional authorities have intensified efforts to dismantle the networks that built this narco-state. Dozens of illegal production facilities have been raided and shut down across the country. Security forces have also thwarted multiple smuggling attempts across the Syrian borders into Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.
Yet, despite these efforts, the infrastructure of the Captagon trade remains alarmingly resilient. Manufacturing operations and trafficking routes continue to operate, revealing the extent to which this illicit economy had been embedded within Syria’s wartime structures.
The Fight on the Ground
Speaking to Euronews, Anwar Abdel Hay, a representative from Syria’s Interior Ministry, acknowledged the scale of the challenge. “These operations are continuous, but they require enormous human and material resources,” he said. He added that government warehouses are now packed with seized narcotics—many of which were hidden in creative ways within shipments of food, grain, or animal feed.
Authorities also report growing retaliation from criminal networks. According to Euronews, expert Caroline Rose of the New Lines Institute warned that these groups have responded to increased pressure with violent counterattacks, including kidnappings, assassinations, and provocative skirmishes aimed at testing the capabilities of Syrian security forces.
Regional Repercussions
The impact of Syria’s Captagon industry has not been limited to its borders. Muin al-Hajj Ali, a researcher at the Carnegie Middle East Center, described the trade as a growing threat to Lebanon’s fragile security. “The recent clashes point not to the elimination of smuggling routes, but to their reconfiguration,” he explained.
Al-Hajj Ali stressed that without a functioning economy, Syria remains vulnerable to drug networks. “Under international sanctions, with a currency crisis and an economy in free fall, how can a government that cannot pay its own employees suppress a trade that brings in hard currency?” he asked.
This grim assessment is shared by Caroline Rose, who noted that Assad’s regime was one of the rare examples of a government that actively functioned as a drug cartel. “The Syrian regime wasn’t simply a passive observer,” she said. “It directly supported the manufacturing and trafficking of Captagon.”
A Costly Legacy
The extent of the Assad regime’s reliance on drug revenues is staggering. Former UK government spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, Rosie Dyas, estimated that Syria earned approximately $57 billion from the Captagon trade by March 2023—an amount that exceeds the entire GDP of countries like Jordan, which stands at $47.45 billion.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Syrian Interior Ministry has pledged to reform its anti-narcotics division, including launching new rehabilitation centers and modernizing existing facilities in partnership with the Ministry of Health. The goal is not only to combat drug trafficking but also to address the rising tide of addiction left in the trade’s wake.
Still, experts warn that unless Syria achieves meaningful economic recovery, criminal networks will continue to fill the void. The battle against Captagon is far from over—and the outcome will shape the future of Syria’s post-war reconstruction and its place in a region increasingly wary of the drug’s destabilizing effects.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
