Captagon Empire: Inside Syria's Billion-Dollar Drug Trade

Following the fall of Bashar Assad, large-scale Captagon manufacturing facilities have been uncovered in Syria, highlighting a USD 10 billion global trade. Assad's regime, along with militias and criminal networks, capitalized on the lucrative market. Recent upheavals present opportunities to dismantle this trade in post-Assad Syria.

Since the downfall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, large-scale Captagon manufacturing facilities have been uncovered nationwide. These sites fed a USD 10 billion annual global trade in the highly addictive drug, now disrupted by regime changes.

The Syrian civil war's economic devastation transformed Captagon production into a billion-dollar industrial revenue stream. Government and militia involvement turned small operations into expansive networks sustaining Assad's regime.

Although Assad's ousting has shattered these networks, experts see potential to dismantle Syria's Captagon industry. As the country moves forward, economic incentives could shift Syrians away from illicit trade.

(With inputs from agencies.)