Enab Baladi – Amir Huquq
The Captagon file is considered one of the most significant Syrian issues on the table in international forums, and the matter has not ended even after the fall of the Assad regime, which was the official sponsor of its production and trade. The regime played a crucial role in maintaining its spread in the Arab region, especially neighboring countries, using them as a corridor towards the Gulf region and other areas.
Reports from the New Lines Institute have shown that Captagon production in Syria was very organized, involving various military groups and militias, including Hezbollah, which is also active in production in Lebanon.
The annual value of seized Captagon, most of which is of Syrian origin, has been estimated at about $56 billion between 2020 and 2023. From this value, it is estimated that actors in Syria linked to the regime benefit up to $1.8 billion annually, nearly double the revenue from all legitimate Syrian exports in 2023.
Tension in political relations
The Captagon file has played a significant role in straining political relations between Syria and Arab countries, especially those in the Gulf region, during the era of the former Assad regime, considering Syria as the primary exporting country of Captagon to those nations, via neighboring countries like Jordan and Iraq.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, the new authority has shown seriousness in combating the production and trade of Captagon, which has reassured Gulf countries and others regarding this issue.
International relations researcher Mahmoud Alloush told Enab Baladi that the Syrian Captagon file had a profound political impact on Gulf countries during the previous regime’s period. Today, Gulf countries attach great importance to the stability of the new government in Syria in order to deal with the drug smuggling issue from Syria.
The researcher believes that the new government in Syria attaches great significance to this file and deals with it decisively, as it poses a significant pressure on Gulf countries and Jordan in particular. However, there is a growing awareness among Gulf countries about the importance of stabilizing the new authority in Syria and providing conditions for stability that would encourage Damascus to stop this trade, which has had substantial harm to the Arab region.
This does not mean that Gulf countries prioritize the ruling authority merely for the desire to eliminate the Captagon issue; rather, the stability of Syria is essential for the stability of the Arab region. Hence, these countries are adjusting their policies from the perspective of needing to support the new authority, because without this stability, there will be severe consequences for chaos in Syria, not only for neighboring countries but also for regional security and stability.
Sanctions and legal pathways
As a result of the former regime’s involvement in Captagon production, the US House of Representatives enacted the Captagon Act in 2022, which mandates the US government to develop a coordinated interagency strategy to disrupt drug production and trafficking.
The Captagon file in Syria has contributed to an increase in economic sanctions, and with the regime’s demise, rights groups and international organizations have called for lifting these sanctions.
In turn, local and international organizations and associations have called for the legal accountability of those involved in the Captagon file, starting from the top of the previous regime, due to its societal, security, and health consequences.
In this regard, human rights advocate and founding board member of the Syrian Forum, Dr. Yaser Tabbara, told Enab Baladi that legal pathways should be through criminal accountability, which must be central to the Captagon file.
He attributed this to the fact that such accountability is not only related to drug production and trafficking crimes but also has enormous ramifications on public health, society, national, regional, and international security.
It is imperative to consider the criminals at the helm of these networks, according to Tabbara, as “they utilized financial resources from this trade and industry to fund many of their criminal activities such as killings, slaughter, repression, and more.”
He believes that there are interconnected crimes, and the approach should not be solely a purely criminal approach regarding drug control but rather to consider these networks as some of the largest violators of human rights and killers of the Syrian people and their displacement.
Director of the Strategic Blind Spots Portfolio at the New Lines Institute, researcher Caroline Rose, stated to Enab Baladi that she does not believe the United States will ease Captagon-related sanctions on Syria.
Government action as a fundamental step
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the disclosure of Captagon production facilities has been ongoing, especially as the Syrian Ministry of Interior works diligently to apprehend and track down traffickers and producers, seizing and destroying large quantities of narcotic pills and arresting promoters and traffickers.
The international scene continues to monitor the new administration’s efforts in Syria to combat this industry and trade, and to eliminate it effectively and seriously.
Dr. Yaser Tabbara considered that the challenges facing the new administration are extremely significant, whether in terms of public health, criminal accountability, or border control, and pursuing networks and local economies based on this trade and industry.
This type of network is linked to transnational networks, related to international terrorism, and is associated with money laundering and arms trafficking. Consequently, the government will focus on security issues and address these challenges from a security and military perspective, as they are essential tools available, according to Tabbara.
Tabbara believes that handling the Captagon issue in Syria requires an integrated strategy that considers developing alternative economies to offer these networks alternatives. This requires clarity and regional and international assistance, along with the lifting of sanctions on Syria and the banking sectors, which Western countries have recently initiated, as the challenges are interconnected.
He pointed out that there is a significant role for civil society organizations and institutions, especially Syrian ones, which have been involved in Syrian affairs over the past 15 years, and have much to contribute in terms of international relations to cover the needs.
Researcher Mahmoud Alloush believes that the new authority’s seriousness in addressing the Captagon issue enhances its credibility with the international community, creating an incentive for all countries to support this authority, as it represents the only current opportunity to deal with the substantial challenges posed by conflict in Syria to the region.
Damascus scores points in Captagon file Enab Baladi.
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