The Kingdom vs Captagon

AThursday evening during Ramadan in April 2022. Four members of a young family in the eastern 黑料社区n city of Safwa gather in their home to break fast together.

But instead of enjoying their iftar meal, the husband and wife and their young son and daughter are brutally murdered, burnt to death by a male relative who locks them in a room and sets fire to their house.

Local media reports that as the fire catches hold the man, in his twenties, 鈥渋gnored all distress calls, whether from the father or the mother, as well as the young boy and daughter, to rescue them, despite the many pleas to save them from certain death.鈥�

Later, it emerges that the killer had been under the influence of methamphetamine, one of a variety of dangerous and addictive chemicals found in pills being smuggled into 黑料社区 on an industrial scale and peddled to the nation鈥檚 youth, most commonly under the brand name 鈥淐aptagon.鈥�

Thanks to a combination of factors, the Kingdom has become the number-one market for the makers and smugglers of counterfeit Captagon, creating a social and public health crisis like none before.

As this Arab News investigation reveals, the primary source of this toxic drug is the rogue state of Syria, aided and abetted by malign players such as the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Recognizable by the distinctive twin half-moons logo, which gives the drug its Arabic street name, 鈥淎bu Hilalain,鈥� Father of the Two Crescents, the pills are easy to make, readily available and relatively cheap to buy.

In the past six years, Saudi authorities have intercepted 600 million Captagon pills at the country鈥檚 borders. Unknown hundreds of millions more have found their way onto the streets of the Kingdom.

The tragedy in Safwa, in which an innocent family paid the ultimate price for an addict鈥檚 dangerous habit, serves as a grim wake-up call and a stark reminder that 黑料社区 is in a war.

The frontline runs along the Kingdom鈥檚 borders, and through its ports and airports. The casualties can be found in its hospitals and addiction clinics. And the enemy鈥檚 name is Captagon.

A life lost, and found

鈥淲aleed,鈥� a 41-year-old father of four from Riyadh, is one of the lucky ones.

A Captagon addict for 14 years, more than once he tried to kill himself in a desperate bid to break the cycle of despair in which he and his family had become trapped.

But for the past two years he has been receiving treatment for Captagon addiction at a rehabilitation center run in the capital by the Kafa Society for Control of Smoking and Drugs.

Captagon, he says, 鈥渢ook a huge toll on my life,鈥� but thanks to the help and support he has been given, 鈥淚鈥檝e turned over a new leaf.鈥�

Waleed isn鈥檛, of course, his real name. But he agreed to talk anonymously to Arab News about his journey in the hope that his story will serve as a warning to others tempted to try the drug.

His is also a cautionary tale for parents.

Former addict, "Waleed": "I turned to stealing valuables from my home and selling them to buy Captagon."

鈥淢y Captagon abuse journey started in school 鈥� in grade 9,鈥� he said.

鈥淎 classmate gave me a pill to try, claiming it would help me study and pass my exams with flying colors.

鈥淎fter that day, I started saving my pocket money and giving it to that classmate, who would buy me more . . . I used to buy it very frequently when I got addicted.鈥�

After completing his education, Waleed landed a job in the private sector, but couldn鈥檛 break his Captagon habit.

鈥淚 would use part of my salary every month to buy Captagon until my addiction impacted my performance, which got me dismissed.鈥�

Even losing his job wasn鈥檛 enough of a wake-up call, and to continue feeding his habit 鈥淚 turned to stealing valuables from my home and selling them to buy Captagon wherever I could find it.鈥�

Waleed鈥檚 three-a-day habit was expensive, and 鈥淚 used to allocate a monthly sum, instead of providing for my family.

鈥淚 would buy this narcotic substance and isolate myself.鈥�

Waleed has a simple message he wants to get across to any young person tempted to try Captagon.

鈥淐aptagon is not a magic pill,鈥� he said.

鈥淚ts effects were terrible. It made me withdraw from society and work in a strange way, without any productivity.

鈥淚t didn鈥檛 give me superpowers; only mental and physical exhaustion, as well as financial struggles.鈥�

His addiction 鈥渁lso made me drift away from my faith. I couldn鈥檛 perform my prayers and isolated myself in a room.

鈥淚 withdrew from society as my mental health deteriorated.鈥�

The drug also drove a wedge between Waleed and his family.

鈥淎ddiction made me isolate, abuse my family, and upset my parents. It led me to steal . . . It made me fail my family and leave them without enough money.

鈥淲henever my children or wife spoke with me, I鈥檇 respond aggressively. I had become mean and aggressive toward my parents; whenever they鈥檇 try to fix things, I鈥檇 tell them to leave the house.鈥�

Despite the obvious shame he feels, Waleed is determined to confront the truth of the years he and his family lost to addiction, and speaks candidly of the pain he caused his loved ones.

鈥淚 became violent toward my family members. I used to mistreat and abuse my wife and children and I often disobeyed my parents.

鈥淚 was terrible toward my family and social circle. I was very toxic. This is what Captagon did to me.鈥�

Waleed lived with the shame of what he had become, and fear of what might happen to him if he were ever caught in possession of the drug.

Constantly terrified, isolated and withdrawn, 鈥淚 attempted suicide several times,鈥� he admits.

鈥淚 tried to quit Captagon, and sought many solutions, but it was all in vain. I suffered for 14 years before I found Kafa rehabilitation center.鈥�

Waleed鈥檚 experience is not uncommon among Captagon addicts, and reflects the findings of a study published in the Journal of Addictions Nursing in 2022. This looked at the experiences of ten Jordanian university students, aged 17-22 years, who had used Captagon in the previous six months, and found that the pills were widely seen as a way of relieving academic and personal stress.

However, although 鈥渋nitially, taking Captagon provided participants with a sense of control . . . it did not solve their problems.鈥� As the days passed, the students 鈥渆xperienced increased levels of stress, felt disorganized in a way that they missed classes, and were being socially isolated.鈥�

Participants 鈥渇inally sought community help for their problem, but this was difficult because of stigmatizing attitudes in their community toward substance misuse.鈥�

Thankfully, addicts in 黑料社区 have the opportunity to seize the lifeline offered by organizations such as the .

As as in-patient at its center in Riyadh, Waleed and his loved ones have benefitted from several 鈥渓ife-changing鈥� programs, including guidance designed to help families and equip them with the support and skills they need to support recovering addicts.

It is, he says, his long-suffering wife that he has to thank for steering him back toward normality.

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to God and this center, in which I鈥檝e been for 27 months. I鈥檓 also grateful to my wife, who has been very patient, and kept searching for the best rehabilitation centers until she came across family counseling at Kafa.

鈥淪he got in contact with them, and they told us to go together. We did, and it鈥檚 been a helpful journey.鈥�

The center, Waleed says, has been a rock on which he has been able to start rebuilding his life.

Kafa: a sign of hope for addicts in 黑料社区. Kafa can be contacted at https://www.kafa.org.sa/ or by phone at +966 0535844446

Kafa: a sign of hope for addicts in 黑料社区. Kafa can be contacted at https://www.kafa.org.sa/ or phone: +966 0535844446

鈥淲henever I asked for help from Kafa鈥檚 professionals, they would be available to support me, even if I call late in the night. They would come and teach me what to do and what to avoid.鈥�

At the center, Waleed was able to enrol in a range of educational rehabilitation programs, 鈥渟uch as relapse prevention, life skills, reintegration into society, how to perform within my community, and how to return to the workplace.鈥�

Thanks to the treatment he has received at the center, Waleed says that he has learnt 鈥渉ow to make amends with my family and find the right path to move forward.鈥�

In short, the rehabilitation offered by Kafa 鈥済ave me the chance to reclaim my life.鈥�

A "miracle" drug

Captagon, the trade name for a drug called fenethylline, was developed in Germany in 1961 as a treatment for a range of conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, depression and narcolepsy.

Fenethylline is a combination of amphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant, and theophylline, a caffeine-related chemical known as a bronchodilator.

On its own, theophylline is used to relieve the effects of asthma and other lung diseases, by relaxing and opening air passages in the lungs. But when the two chemicals are chemically bonded, they form a so-called 鈥渃odrug,鈥� fenethylline, which is metabolized in the body to create a psychostimulant that is faster-acting than amphetamine alone.

At first, it was seen as a miracle drug, and Captagon was prescribed legally for about 20 years. During the 1980s, however, in the face of increasing evidence that it was addictive and could cause multiple unwelcome side-effects, it was banned by medical authorities around the world.

Captagon, says Ghassan Asfour, medical director at Kafa in Riyadh, 鈥渟timulates the nervous system and affects vital body organs, including the brain.

鈥淚t causes strokes, memory loss, and nerve damage, auditory, visual and sensory hallucinations.

鈥淚t also negatively impacts cardiovascular health, leading to increased heart rates, and high blood pressure, as well as damage to liver and kidney functions.鈥�

Users experienced a range of problems, including lethargy, sleep deprivation, suppression of appetite causing malnutrition, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, irregular heartbeat and gastrointestinal symptoms.

鈥淐aptagon makes you mobile.鈥� A full-page advert for the drug, launched by German company Chemiewerk in the August 1961 edition of the Bavarian Medical Journal.

鈥淐aptagon makes you mobile.鈥� A full-page advert for the drug, launched by German company Chemiewerk in the August 1961 edition of the Bavarian Medical Journal.

But Captagon, a 鈥減sychotropic鈥� drug designed to affect a person鈥檚 mental state, was also found to cause confusion and mood swings, ranging from anxiety and extreme depression to impatience, irritability and feelings of anger or rage.

Even more worryingly, it also endowed some users with an indifference to pain and fear and a dangerous sense of invincibility 鈥� qualities that have reportedly led to the drug being adopted by the foot soldiers of Daesh and other terror groups in the region.

In 1981, amid growing evidence of widespread addiction and misuse, including its use as a performance-enhancing drug in sports such as cycling and soccer, Captagon was banned by the US Food and Drug Administration.

In 1986 Captagon鈥檚 legal run finally came to an end when the World Health Organization listed fenethylline as a controlled substance under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, to which 黑料社区 has been a signatory since 1975.

Since then, the drug has not been produced, sold or prescribed legally anywhere in the world.

But in the shadows, criminal gangs had spotted a profitable opportunity and counterfeit versions of Captagon soon began to appear in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Users and dealers

In an interview in 2015, Abdelelah Mohammed Al-Sharif, secretary-general of 黑料社区鈥檚 National Committee for Narcotics Control and assistant director of Anti-Drug and Preventative Affairs, said that the majority of drug users in the Kingdom were in the 12-22 age group, and that Captagon was the drug of choice for the majority.

The phenomenon of 黑料社区鈥檚 battle against the counterfeit drug has drawn the attention of researchers from around the world. In 2016, for example, a research group of Greek forensic toxicologists reported that three out of every four patients being treated for drug problems in 黑料社区鈥渁re addicted to amphetamines, almost exclusively in the form of Captagon.鈥�

The drug, they concluded in a paper published in the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, was used throughout the Middle East by students, 鈥渋n order to stay awake before final exams,鈥� by women, 鈥渁s an anorectic agent to lose weight,鈥� and by wealthy individuals simply seeking a recreational high.

In 2020, researchers from Nanchang University, China, interviewed current and former university students in 黑料社区鈥檚 Eastern Province. They found that 鈥渙nce the drug is trafficked to the Kingdom, it goes to dealers at different levels in various regions.鈥�

Each dealer promotes and sells the drug 鈥渋n his own way,鈥� they wrote in a paper, 鈥淒rugs behind the veil of Islam: A view of Saudi youth,鈥� published in the journal Crime, Law, and Social Change in May 2021. 鈥淪ome approach youth in front of schools; some wait for customers at home; some try to find drug users on the coasts, like peddlers.鈥�

The Captagon dealer: "Lots of those who sell also take it."

One 22-year-old undergraduate told the researchers that the authorities were battling against a sinister mafia-style 鈥渙merta,鈥� or code of silence.

鈥淏ecause the drug trafficking is a source of income, traffickers try all their best to protect it,鈥� he told the researchers.

鈥淒rug trafficking is subject to the death penalty in the Kingdom (but) some people still do it; it means it is extremely important to them. So, just be blind and dumb when you see drug trafficking or dealing. They may kill you.鈥�

Students aren鈥檛 the only 鈥渃ivilian鈥� users of the drug. On condition of anonymity, a 25-year-old man from Baalbek, in Lebanon鈥檚 Bekaa Valley, told Arab News how he started taking Captagon four years ago, while working as a driver transporting fuel to and from Syria.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e always alert when you鈥檙e on it and awake for your job, which mainly takes time during the night,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou feel active, you won鈥檛 be falling asleep behind the wheel.鈥�

Every one of the truckers he worked with, he said, were on Captagon, 鈥渟o we can stay awake . . . They make coffee then distribute the pills . . . the Syrians would offer us (the drug), saying, 鈥楬ere, taste this.鈥� It felt good and so we started buying.

鈥淚f you find a truck driver, I guarantee he鈥檇 be a user.鈥�

Now jobless, the man has continued to use Captagon, even though he is aware of the dangers.

鈥淓ven after I stopped my job, I remained taking it,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 be chilling with your friends and you鈥檙e up all night with them, so you take it for fun.鈥�

Getting hold of the drug was easy, he said. 鈥淵ou call someone in Baalbek, you tell him where you are, and he gives you a location to come and pick up what you asked for.鈥�

The user: "High on Captagon, you're fearless and might do stuff you otherwise wouldn't."

Making it, faking it

鈥淯nlike drugs such as heroin and cocaine, it is relatively easy to manufacture synthetic stimulants (such as fenethylline) with common household chemicals and solvents that are readily available from commercial sources.鈥�

So wrote Saudi researchers from the University of Jeddah, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Interior in 鈥淪tudy of adulterants and dilutants in some seized Captagon-type stimulants,鈥� a paper published in the journal Annals of Clinical Nutrition in June 2020.

Worryingly, added the six co-authors, instructions for making the drug were 鈥渞eadily available on the Internet.鈥�

The necessary ingredients for making certain drugs, including amphetamine, are known as 鈥減recursor drugs,鈥� and in the late-2000s authorities began to detect a growing global trade in vast quantities of these raw materials.

Between 2008 and 2011, for example, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction reported that large volumes of the amphetamine precursor phenylacetone, also known as BMK, were imported legally into Jordan and Iraq, ostensibly for the manufacture of cleaning and disinfection products.

In 2010 the International Narcotics Control Board noted that, 鈥渁s many countries in West Asia had reported large seizures of Captagon, there was a risk that some of this imported BMK could have been used for illicit amphetamine synthesis, potentially to be marketed as Captagon.鈥�

It may be marketed as Captagon, but in many cases is only distantly related chemically to the original drug.

Since 1992, chemical analysis of multiple seized shipments of pills marked with the twin-half-moon symbol have been carried out in countries including Turkiye, Serbia, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan and 黑料社区.

Frequently, as researchers from the Substance Abuse and Toxicology Research Center at Jazan University reported in a paper published in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal in 2020, only amphetamine, or its more powerful derivative, methamphetamine, is found, in varying concentrations and mixed with other additives. Of fenethylline, the key component of the original Captagon, often there is no trace.

The Captagon dealer, Beirut: "Initially we started getting drugs from the Syrian borders, but then we started getting them from here and actually sending them to Syria, 黑料社区, Egypt, and other countries.鈥�

This uncertainty creates hidden dangers for users of counterfeit Captagon, who can have no idea what has gone into the pills they are swallowing.

If they are unwittingly taking methamphetamine, for example, they are consuming a drug which is a far more potent stimulant than the amphetamine from which it is derived, and which has longer-lasting effects on the central nervous system 鈥� effects that can be potentially devastating, as the Ramadan tragedy in the city of Safwa demonstrated so cruelly.

Even more disturbing, the same drug that is destroying lives in 黑料社区 is fueling and financing violence, in and beyond the region.

Synthetic courage

Stories about Captagon being the drug of choice for Daesh fighters first surfaced in 鈥淪yria鈥檚 War Drug,鈥� a BBC Arabic documentary in September 2015.

鈥淭here was no fear any more after I took Captagon,鈥� one interviewed fighter said.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 sleep or even close your eyes,鈥� another said, 鈥渁nd whatever you take to stop it, you can鈥檛 stop it.

鈥淚 felt like I own the world, like I have power nobody has.鈥�

One Kurdish special forces soldier who fought against Daesh during the siege of Kobani from 2014 to 2015 told Arab News the enemy fighters 鈥渨ould consume the pills before launching large-scale brutal attacks, or prior to a suicide attack.鈥�

The former soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that 鈥渙n most of their suicide missions, the person doing it would be high on Captagon. It gave them the courage to do so.

鈥淎t times, after suicide missions, we would find a small blood-spattered bag of Captagon pills by body parts.鈥�

Frequently, he added, PUK units that captured Daesh fighters would find them 鈥渙ut of their minds鈥� on the drug. The prisoners were sent for questioning to an anti-terrorist unit, where officers would often have to wait up to 24 hours to interrogate them, while they came down from their high.

Daesh fighters in Iraq鈥檚 Nineveh province in June 2014. Many took Captagon in a bid to boost their courage. (AFP)

Daesh fighters in Iraq鈥檚 Nineveh province in June 2014. Many took Captagon in a bid to boost their courage. (AFP)

鈥淓ven then, they would be unresponsive mentally, but even the smallest physical discomfort would cause them immense pain due to their withdrawal symptoms kicking in . . . Once the effect of the pills come off, and withdrawal symptoms kick in, they start becoming panicked, anxious, they shake, and they start asking the jailers for pills.鈥�

Throughout interrogations, the fighters 鈥渁dmitted to using Captagon prior to attacks, to storing it in their houses, to making sure there are enough pills to go around in central locations they were based in.鈥�

Some Daesh members, he said, 鈥渁lso confessed to force-feeding Captagon pills to the women they captured as sex slaves . . . so their bodies can endure the physical torture they were subjected to.鈥�

On June 18, 2018, Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led multinational campaign against Daesh, reported that coalition-supported forces operating near Al-Tanf in Syria had seized and destroyed 鈥渁 large cache of Daesh鈥檚 narcotic drugs,鈥� including 300,000 Captagon pills, 鈥渁n illegal drug frequently trafficked and used by Daesh members,鈥� with a total street value of $1.4 million.

鈥淒espite Daesh鈥檚 facade of Islamic purity,鈥� said the OIR, 鈥渋ts criminal terrorists are known drug users and traffickers.鈥� Captagon, it continued, was 鈥渋nformally referred to as the 鈥榡ihadists鈥� drug鈥�.鈥�

Captagon has been linked to perpetrators of terror attacks in Europe, including Mohamed Bouhlel, who killed 86 people in Nice, France, in July 2016.

Captagon has been linked to perpetrators of terror attacks in Europe, including Mohamed Bouhlel, who killed 86 people in Nice, France, in July 2016.

The drug has also been linked in media reports to several of the high-profile attacks carried out across Europe by Daesh-inspired terrorists. Analysis of the cell phone used by Mohamed Bouhlel, who killed 86 people when he drove a truck into Bastille Day crowds in Nice, France, in July 2016, revealed he had researched the drug.

But 鈥渏ihadists鈥� are not the only users of Captagon, a drug that has gained increasing popularity among youth in 黑料社区 and the wider region.

Hezbollah supporters parading in Ghazieh, south Lebanon, in October 2019. The Iran-backed group is implicated in the Captagon trade. (AFP)

The village of Al-Bara in Syria鈥檚 Idlib province is bombed in March 2020. The war against the Syrian opposition people is largely funded by the lucrative Captagon trade. (AFP)

The Syrian port of Latakia, through which Captagon tablets are exported in bulk.

Syrian armor in northern Aleppo province in February 2020. The Fourth Armored Division is now a force in the drugs business. (AFP)

Made in Syria

Today, the vast majority of the tens of millions of pills flooding the Arabian Peninsula every year are manufactured on the doorstep, mainly in Syria and with the active involvement of the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war a decade ago, what began as a trickle of Captagon into the region has turned into a flood. Facing global sanctions that have left it desperate for revenue, the Syrian regime has gone into the drug-manufacturing business, working with Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Lebanon to smuggle industrial quantities of Captagon into 黑料社区 and the other Gulf states, by land, sea and air.

According to a report published in April 2022 by Washington think-tank the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, war-torn Syria has become 鈥渢he hub for industrial-sized production.鈥� It adds that 鈥渆lements of the Syrian government are key drivers of the Captagon trade, with ministerial-level complicity in production and smuggling, using the trade as a means for political and economic survival amid international sanctions.鈥�

The government 鈥渁ppears to use local alliance structures with other armed groups, such as Hezbollah, for technical and logistical support in Captagon production and trafficking.鈥�

Caroline Rose, a senior analyst at New Lines, told Arab News there was no doubt that 鈥淐aptagon is being produced and trafficked by an array of individuals that are very close to the Assad regime, some of them cousins and relatives of regime members.鈥�

Most notable among them, she said, was 鈥淏ashar Assad鈥檚 brother, Maher, who has been affiliated with production and smuggling efforts in his role as commander of the Fourth Armored Division,鈥� a military unit whose primary mission is to protect the Syrian regime from internal and external threats.

Bashar Assad鈥檚 brother, Maher, commander of Syria鈥檚 Fourth Armored Division, which is linked to Captagon production and smuggling.

Bashar Assad鈥檚 brother, Maher, commander of Syria鈥檚 Fourth Armored Division, which is linked to Captagon production and smuggling.

This ties in with the testimony of 鈥淨ussai,鈥� an anonymous Syrian researcher based in Turkiye, who told Arab News that the involvement of the government in the drug trade is an open secret within Syria, and that 鈥渢he Fourth Division is heavily involved.鈥�

This unit has been associated with a diverse range of economic activities linked to Syria鈥檚 wartime economy, including the collection of levies from traders and smugglers at checkpoints set up at international border crossings under regime control between Syria and Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. According to Qussai, the division is also directly involved in the production of Captagon, particularly in Safita and Baniyas, two cities in the northwestern Tartous governorate in Syria.

鈥淭here are military officers deployed there in military barracks with 鈥楴o entry鈥� signs to ban the locals from entry to certain places under the guise of having secretive anti-Israeli weaponry they are trying to contain,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 know of several chemists who have admitted to me they work within the Fourth Division as drug cooks.鈥�

Because the Syrian regime is involved, 鈥渢he business has become almost legitimate and is (a) top-tier (operation), it鈥檚 done properly. There are front companies in Europe that were set up by the regime and the materials for the production come from there.鈥�

These raw materials, he said, are shipped to Latakia, Syria鈥檚 main port, 鈥渁nd distributed to factories from there.鈥� Much of the Captagon that is smuggled into Gulf states is also shipped out of Latakia.

In a policy brief published in January 2022, Ankara-based think-tank ORSAM, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, concluded that without doubt 鈥渢he drug industry and smuggling are facilitated and run by the Assad regime.鈥�

Occasionally, the Syrian government announces that it has made spectacular seizures of drugs. In November 2021, outlets including Agence France-Presse reported a claim by the Interior Ministry that 鈥淪yrian counter-narcotics units鈥� had seized 鈥渁 record haul of 2.3 tons of the amphetamine-type stimulant known as Captagon鈥� 鈥� about 14 million pills.

Such claims, said Middle East expert Gregory Aftandilian, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The regime, said Aftandilian, a former Middle East analyst in the US departments of State and Defense, 鈥渋s playing it both ways 鈥� they want to gain international legitimacy.

鈥淪o on the one hand, they want to show that they鈥檙e a 鈥榬esponsible鈥� government, but on the other hand they are still trying to make money. It鈥檚 good public relations for them to say, 鈥榃ell, we caught X number of smugglers, and we鈥檝e cracked down on some production facilities.鈥� But of course, very few people believe this.鈥�

The skeptics include US legislators. On Sept. 20, 2022, the Syrian regime鈥檚 role in the drug trade was officially recognized when the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 6265, the 鈥淐ountering Assad鈥檚 Proliferation Trafficking and Garnering of Narcotics (CAPTAGON) Act,鈥� which required the US government 鈥渢o develop an interagency strategy to disrupt and dismantle narcotics production and trafficking and affiliated networks linked to the Bashar Assad regime in Syria.鈥�

US Representative French Hill: "Syria is now becoming a narco-state."

US Representative French Hill: "Syria is now becoming a narco-state."

Speaking on the House floor in support of the Bill, Representative French Hill said that, 鈥渋n addition to regularly committing war crimes against his own people, the Assad regime in Syria is now becoming a narco-state.鈥� Captagon, he added, 鈥渉as already reached Europe and it is only a matter of time until it reaches our shores.鈥�

Inevitably, says the New Lines Institute, neighboring Lebanon 鈥渉as served as an extension of the Syrian Captagon trade,鈥� and has become 鈥渁 key transit point for Captagon flows, with Syrian government-connected Hezbollah leaders participating in the trade鈥檚 expansion.鈥�

Two Lebanese dealers spoke to Arab News on condition of anonymity. They admitted sending drugs to 黑料社区, Egypt and other countries, and said they sourced their product mainly from two drugs factories 鈥� one in Britel, a town in Lebanon near the Syrian border, and the other in Qusair in western Syria, on the Lebanese border.

Corruption, they said, was the key to successful smuggling. 鈥淣o quantity leaves this country without political cover,鈥� said one. 鈥淢oney is key.鈥�

In December 2022 a court in Lebanon sentenced a man known as the 鈥淐aptagon King鈥� to seven years鈥� hard labor for producing and trafficking the drug. According to AFP, Hassan Dekko, a Lebanese-Syrian, had 鈥渉igh-level political connections in both countries鈥� and ran a major smuggling operation out of a village in the Bekaa region of Lebanon.

Caroline Rose, New Lines Institute: "Captagon is being produced and trafficked by an array of individuals very close to the Assad regime."

鈥淎n immoral operation鈥�

Col. Joseph Moussallem, head of public relations for Lebanon鈥檚 Internal Security Forces, told Arab News that the popularity of Captagon among producers, smugglers and dealers alike boiled down to a single factor 鈥� its profitability.

鈥淭he estimated profit of each shipment is very high,鈥� he said. 鈥淯nlike hash and marijuana, Captagon manufacturing takes a few dollars to make and sells for triple that.鈥�

Whereas the production of hash and marijuana 鈥渞equires water, farming and specific weather conditions, creating a Captagon pill can be done under any conditions. It is an extremely profitable business.鈥�

So profitable, according to the New Lines Institute, that the Captagon trade is 鈥渁 rapidly growing illicit economy in the Middle East and Mediterranean,鈥� earning Syria $5.7 billion in 2021 alone.

Moussallem said that in the first nine months of 2022 alone, Lebanon鈥檚 Internal Security Forces had intercepted and seized more than five million Captagon pills.

鈥淲e do not know when this will end,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are trying our best and using all of our manpower.鈥� The force had, he said, 鈥渓ost some of our men鈥� in the battle against the drug.

What they were dealing with, he added, was 鈥渁n immoral operation. We do not condone the poisoning of citizens, let alone our Arab brothers and sisters.鈥�

In the battle against Captagon, the ISF cooperates with its counterparts in other regional states.

鈥淲hen the shipments are aimed abroad, and it is usually and mainly toward the Gulf, we cooperate with the forces of that receiving country,鈥� Moussallem said. 鈥淭actics and information are shared.鈥�

Although some consignments of drugs are moved through airports, smuggling Captagon by aircraft 鈥渋s considered a small-scale operation in comparison to smuggling by sea or land. There are only so many pills you can smuggle via plane.鈥�

The risks of doing so were highlighted in 2015 when no less a person than 29-year-old Prince Abdel Mohsen bin Walid bin Abdulaziz was arrested at Rafik Hariri International Airport while attempting to smuggle about 10 million pills from Beirut to 黑料社区 on board a private jet, in boxes bearing his name and the emblem of the Saudi state.

The spectacular bust earned him the nickname 鈥淧rince of Captagon,鈥� and a five-year stay in a cell in Beirut鈥檚 Hobeich detention center.

According to a member of Lebanon鈥檚 anti-narcotics squad, speaking to Arab News on condition of anonymity, whether the smuggling is being done via air, land or sea, the smugglers are 鈥渕ainly Lebanese and Syrians.鈥�

Smuggling through the region鈥檚 ports, he said, is the preserve of 鈥渢he ones with connections, the bigwigs . . . The ports can be used to smuggle (pills) by the millions, easily, (but) there is no possible way one can smuggle large amounts and use the ports without protection from members of the government and other people in high places.鈥�

Smuggling, he added, 鈥渟tarted on a small level in 2011, by 2015 it had kicked to high gear and it鈥檚 still ongoing.鈥�

When the pills are smuggled by truck, concealed within the vehicle鈥檚 structure or the cargo it is carrying, 鈥測ou find at times an agreement between the smuggler and the transportation company. Some companies are very well aware what is being hidden inside their shipments and some are naive enough not to do any background or thorough checks.

鈥淚n both cases, the smuggler and the company will be under arrest.鈥�

Small-scale smugglers, including families hoping to boost their incomes, are often apprehended at the borders. 鈥淐hildren鈥檚 dolls are used. Pills have even been found in babies鈥� diapers, wrapped around the toddler.

鈥淵ou see a small truck with a family inside, a veiled mother, her veiled daughters, a baby and the husband, you would think nothing of it. But at times you find all of them are carrying Captagon pills on them.鈥�

A regional problem

黑料社区 isn鈥檛 the only country in the region and beyond grappling with the Captagon crisis.

In July 2020, for example, Italian police seized a 14-ton haul of 84 million Captagon pills at the Port of Salerno. Hidden in consignments of drums of paper and gear wheels, officials said the pills, with a street value of $1.1 billion, were made in Syria and bound for the European market, to raise money to fund terror group Daesh.

July 2020: Italian police seize 84 million Captagon pills at the Port of Salerno.

July 2020: Italian police seize 84 million Captagon pills at the Port of Salerno.

In February 2021, Lebanese customs officials intercepted a shipment of five million pills at the Port of Beirut hidden inside a tile-making machine, bound for Greece and 黑料社区.

In May 2021, Turkish customs officers at Iskenderun intercepted six million pills, bound for the UAE, and in November, Dubai customs officers discovered 80,000 Captagon pills hidden in the trunk of a car at Hatta checkpoint, on the border crossing with Oman.

Jordan, sandwiched between Syria and 黑料社区, has bigger problems than most, which it blames on the Syrian military and pro-Iranian militias operating in the south of Syria.

鈥淛ordan has increasingly become a battleground in the fight to stem this illicit trade,鈥� wrote Middle East analyst Gregory Aftandilian in a policy paper for the Arab Center Washington DC in September 2022.

鈥淔rom Syria and Lebanon, Captagon pills are then usually smuggled overland to Jordan, and from there on to the Gulf states, although some shipments are also transported by air and sea, often hidden in or among other products.鈥�

In 2021, Jordanian forces seized 15.5 million Captagon pills, but surpassed that total in the first four months of 2022 alone. After a series of violent incidents along the border with Syria, the Jordanian army changed its rules of engagement. The Jordan News Agency reported that in a major firefight in January 2022, guards 鈥渆ngaged and killed 27 drug smugglers after they tried to infiltrate the border from Syria under the cover of snow.鈥�

The smugglers, the report added, 鈥渨ere backed up by armed groups . . . some of the smugglers were injured and fled back to Syrian territory.鈥�

In November 2022, Jordanian security forces arrested 24 dealers across the kingdom in a single day and in a separate case in December two men, a Syrian and a Jordanian, were given lengthy prison sentences for an attempt to smuggle 1.9 million pills from Syria to Jordan in 2021.

Nowhere in the region is immune to the crisis. In December, Iraqi authorities destroyed six tons of drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and five million Captagon pills, which had been seized at the country鈥檚 borders.

In December the Port Khalid Customs Center in Sharjah, UAE, thwarted five attempts to smuggle in a tital of 142.73 kg of drugs, including half a million Captagon pills.

But for more than 20 years it has been 黑料社区 that has been the major target of the drug smugglers. Regular reports by member states to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime show that between 2015 and 2019 黑料社区 seized by far the largest quantities of amphetamine tablets in the region, followed by Jordan and the UAE.

In 2019 alone, the Kingdom reported seizing almost 146 million tablets, dwarfing the amounts intercepted in Jordan (23 million), Kuwait and Lebanon (4 million each) and Iraq (600,000.)

In the past six years, Saudi authorities, fighting a battle of wits with smugglers resorting to ever more devious methods, have seized a total of 600 million Captagon pills at the country鈥檚 borders, including more in the first quarter of 2021 than in the whole of the previous two years.

Almost 120 million pills were seized in 2021, and in August 2022 alone the authorities intercepted a record single haul of 45 million pills.

However, such are the rewards that the smugglers keep trying 鈥� seizures of Captagon are regularly reported by 黑料社区's Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority.

One of the largest recent hauls was in October, when almost 4 million pills were discovered in a shipment of bell peppers in Riyadh, leading to the arrest of five suspects, in the capital and Jeddah. In November, 2 million pills were found hidden inside wooden kitchen planks in Riyadh, leading to four more arrests, and in December almost 3 million pills were intercepted in two attempts to smuggle the drugs in, through the Empty Quarter border with Oman and through the Haditha border crossing with Jordan.

The new year has brought no respite. Four days into 2023, the General Directorate for Drug Control reported that three Saudi nationals had been arrested after more than 3 million pills were discovered in Riyadh, hidden inside specially created compartments in a truck.

Lebanon鈥檚 Internal Security Forces have seized more than 5 million Captagon pills since the beginning of 2022.

May 2021: Turkish customs officers at Iskenderun intercept 6 million pills, bound for the UAE.

December 2021: Customs agents at the Port of Beirut seize 9 million Captagon pills, hidden in a shipment of oranges and bound for the Gulf. (AFP)

April 2022: Fighters with Syrian rebel group Tahrir Al-Sham seize a consignment of Captagon pills at a checkpoint in the west of Aleppo Governorate. (AFP)

Battle on the borders

Armed with sophisticated X-ray machines, sniffer dogs and an intelligence network shared with its allies across the region, in the first quarter of 2021 黑料社区 seized more Captagon pills at its borders than in the whole of the previous two years combined.

鈥淢ore than 190 million Captagon pills were seized in 2020 and 2021, in coordination and cooperation with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, the General Directorate of Border Guards and other relevant entities,鈥� said Majde Al-Sabi, security affairs adviser at the General Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority 鈥� ZATCA.

鈥淭his coordination resulted in the General Directorate of Narcotics Control arresting those who were supposed to receive the seized drugs in the Kingdom,鈥� he said.

Over the past decade, Al-Sabi said, ZATCA had intercepted 鈥渕ore than 782 million narcotic pills, in addition to more than 100,000 kg of other drugs, such as shabu (methamphetamine), heroin and cocaine, among other narcotic substances.鈥�

Guarding the Kingdom鈥檚 borders is no easy task. 黑料社区 shares land borders with eight countries: Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Yemen and 鈥� via the 25km-long King Fahd Causeway 鈥� Bahrain. Then there are the shorelines 鈥� 450 km on the Arabian Gulf and 1,700 km on the Red Sea, from the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba to the Yemeni border in the south.

All border crossings, Al-Sabi said, were 鈥渁t full readiness,鈥� but some see more action than others. 鈥淛eddah Islamic Port, Al-Haditha Crossing (on the Jordanian border), and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam (on the Gulf) are at the top of the list when it comes to smuggling attempts,鈥� he said.

Smugglers, he added, 鈥渟eek to exploit everything to try to smuggle illegal substances into the Kingdom by exploiting food items, electronics, children鈥檚 toys and steel, in all their types and forms.

鈥淔or example, an attempt was thwarted recently, where Captagon pills were hidden inside an onion shipment, along with shipments of other food items. But the heroes of the customs are fully prepared and always ready to thwart such attempts.鈥�

Those heroes include the men and dogs of the National K9 Center in Riyadh, which was set up in 1980 and today has more than 440 teams operating at 26 customs crossings, with more units being introduced in regional airports and ports.

The majority of the seizures of Captagon 鈥渨ere the result of the extraordinary teamwork carried out by the specialists and their K9s,鈥� said Maher Rashid Al-Huaish, a senior trainer at the K9 center.

The men and their dogs 鈥渉ave a bond so strong to the point where they seem to be one. During the 26 years I have spent at the authority, I have noticed a significant bond between the K9s and their specialists. The handlers always get attached to them and the dogs pick up the behavior and character of their specialists and are very loyal to them.鈥�

Blessed with millions more olfactory cells than humans, 鈥渄ogs have very advanced abilities in terms of their senses. They have the ability to respond to and detect substances and contraband even while exhaling, a wide angle of vision, which makes them able to explore their surroundings even better, and a very strong sense of hearing.鈥�

At the center, the dogs are trained to detect drugs, explosives, money, tobacco, and people 鈥� either dead or alive.

The success of the teams 鈥渃annot be attributed to one person, but rather to a system, and we are more than capable of confronting this menace,鈥� said Abdullah Al-Salloum, director of the National K9 Center.

The dogs, said Al-Salloum, are trained to detect 鈥渇ive or six types of drugs and six or seven types of explosives, in addition to smuggled cash as well as tobacco and tobacco products.鈥�

Accredited by the World Customs Organization as a regional center of excellence, the National K9 Center 鈥渁ims to strengthen cooperation with regional countries in terms of providing training and exchanging expertise with experts.鈥�

The dogs, said Al-Salloum, have an unerring sense when it comes to detecting contraband. On one occasion, K9 units were conducting a routine inspection of trucks at a land crossing when, instead of working its way along the line, one of the animals headed straight for the seventh truck.

鈥淚 thought that perhaps it was because it was in an open area, in the wilderness, and it was possible that a wolf or something there had caught the K9鈥檚鈥� attention,鈥� he said.

The handler tried to bring the dog back to the first truck, but again it headed straight for the seventh vehicle, and 鈥渢hat is when the handler took the matter more seriously.鈥�

The truck was searched, and a large quantity of Captagon pills was discovered.

More often than not, the smugglers are ruthless gang members who resort to extremely devious and occasionally ingenious methods in attempts to bring millions of pills at a time into 黑料社区. Many are caught 鈥� between January 2021 and August 2022, Saudi customs officers and border guards seized more than 160 million Captagon pills.

What isn鈥檛 known, of course, is how many pills make it onto the streets of the Kingdom. But what is clear is the terrible damage the drug is doing to individuals, families and communities.

Horror stories associated with Captagon are commonplace, but these alone do not seem to discourage users.

鈥淭here鈥檚 someone I know, one night he took one too many Captagon pills and lost his sanity,鈥� said an anonymous Captagon user from Baalbek who spoke to Arab News.

鈥淵ou find him now walking the streets in a daze, he doesn鈥檛 know where he is, what he鈥檚 doing or who he is.

鈥淭hey said he took 22 pills in one day after he had a fight with his parents. A week had passed by the time he sobered up completely, but then he couldn鈥檛 recognize anyone. He couldn鈥檛 and still doesn鈥檛 recognize himself.鈥�

Picking up the pieces

Intercepting the drugs at the border is only half the battle against Captagon, which is also being fought by medical professionals at dedicated treatment centers across 黑料社区.

黑料社区 is well known for its tough line on drug smuggling and dealing. Under the Kingdom鈥檚 anti-narcotics and psychotropic substances laws, anyone found guilty of smuggling, importing, exporting or manufacturing such drugs faces the death penalty, although at the discretion of the court this can be commuted to 15 years or more in prison, with up to 50 lashes and a fine of not less than SR100,000 riyals ($26,700).

First-time drug dealers can be given up to 15 years in prison, a fine of at least SR100,000 and up to 50 lashes, but if they commit a second offense they risk the death penalty. Anyone in government service found guilty of drug trafficking faces up to 25 years in prison, or even death.

When it comes to users, however, the law takes an extremely progressive approach, stipulating that, provided the individual submits themself to 鈥渙ne of the clinics designated to treat drug addiction . . . to help him/her heal ... prosecution cannot be brought for use or addiction of narcotics or psychotropic substances.鈥�

One such facility is the Kafa center in Riyadh, a subsidiary of the Kafa Society for Control of Smoking and Drugs in Makkah.

鈥淭he center offers educational, behavioral and skill-building programs, as well as medical care for recovering addicts through a variety of schemes,鈥� said Ibrahim bin Ahmad Al-Hamdan, general director at Kafa.

鈥淭he center adopts a three-stage treatment plan, the first of which is the primary care stage, which runs for 45 days to ensure a patient鈥檚 stability. Then comes the aftercare, which comprises various programs running for three months.

鈥淔inally, we provide extended care for up to two years, during which we ensure the continued improvement of a recovered drug addict.鈥�

Data collected by Kafa treatment centers shows that the vast majority of addicts are men. For cultural reasons, 鈥渢his scourge isn鈥檛 prevalent among women. Nonetheless, we at Kafa provide our services to everyone.鈥�

Ibrahim bin Ahmad Al-Hamdan, general director at Kafa rehabilitation center, Riyadh: 鈥淧revention is better than cure.鈥�

Ibrahim bin Ahmad Al-Hamdan, general director at Kafa rehabilitation center, Riyadh: 鈥淧revention is better than cure.鈥�

In addition to treatment programs, the Kafa society organizes awareness programs with various partner organizations, tailored for students at school and university, 鈥渢o educate them on the dangers of narcotic drugs and on the help available to those who have been victims of addiction.鈥�

The services offered by such centers across the country are one part of a three-pronged approach to battling the Captagon problem in the Kingdom.

鈥淲e all know that prevention is better than cure,鈥� Al-Hamdan said.

鈥淭here are real government efforts, both preventative and educational, through the provision of educational programs focused on life skills to raise awareness at schools of the dangers of Captagon in particular, and narcotics in general, and the dangers of substance abuse.鈥�

The Kingdom鈥檚 preference for treatment over punishment for addicts is typified by the work of the Saudi National Committee for Narcotics Control, which under the umbrella 鈥淣ebras鈥� (Beacon), offers a broad range of services for addicts and their families, including a dedicated addiction counseling center, and can connect patients with treatment providers.

In October 2022, Nebras, working in partnership with several government bodies and private-sector organizations, launched 鈥淪tay Close,鈥� a two-week campaign designed to protect children from the danger of addiction by raising awareness about the importance of family bonds in the battle against drug abuse.

鈥淪tay close,鈥� Nebras tweeted at the launch of the campaign, 鈥渁nd do not spoil the lives of your children by distancing yourself from them. Family bonding and your communication with them saves them from the danger and addiction of drugs.鈥�

Nebras says that the average age at which drug-taking begins is between 13 and 18 years old, and that more than half of all cases of adolescent drug abuse are a result of families not paying enough attention to their children.

Other government departments are taking steps to combat addiction. In November 2022 the Saudi Health Ministry launched a campaign to improve the provision of addiction treatment services in 50 hospitals with psychiatric units, organizing introductory workshops and linking the units to the Saudi appointments app Sihhati and Seha Virtual Hospital, the first of its kind in the Middle East, connecting patients through a cutting-edge telemedicine portal to more than 150 hospitals.

The goal, said the ministry, is to provide easy access to addiction treatments, reduce the stigma, and improve the quality of the provided services. It is also 鈥渞aising awareness about addiction 鈥� its dangers, complications, risk factors, causes of relapse, and treatment of withdrawal symptoms or the accompanying psychological symptoms, both in clinics and inpatient wards.鈥�

Al-Hamdan, general director at Kafa, has a message of hope for addicts and their families.

鈥淎n addict is someone who鈥檚 ill and needs help,鈥� he said. 鈥淵es, there are a number of addiction cases. But thanks to the efforts of treatment centers and hospitals, addiction is not the end.鈥�

Credits

Writing & research: Jonathan Gornall, Leen Fouad, Anan Tello, Gabriele Malvisi
Interviews: Nadia Al-Faour, Mohammed AlSulami, Tariq AlThaqafi
Editor: Tarek Ali Ahmad
Creative director: Omar Nashashibi
Designers: Douglas Okasaki, Ador Bustamante
Graphics: Douglas Okasaki
Design consultant: Simon Khalil
Video producer: Hasenin Fadhel
Video editor: Ali Noori, Abdulrahman Fahad Bin Shulhub
Videographers: Firas Haidar, Abdullah Aljabar, Jamal Bin Mahfouth
Picture researcher: Sheila Mayo
Copy editor: Sandra White
Translators: Charbel Merhi, Cynthia Milan, Joy Geryes, Rima Barakat, Joelle Sleiman
Japan editors: Diana Farah, Akiko Iwata
Social media: Daniel Fountain
Producer: Arkan Aladnani
Editor-in-Chief: Faisal J. Abbas

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