By Al-Fassel | 2025-07-24

Captagon trade and smuggling operations declined somewhat following the fall of the Assad regime. The regime, backed by Iran and its pro-Iranian militias, had previously led networks for manufacturing and smuggling the drug.

Despite statements by security forces in several countries in the region that they continue to seize laboratories and warehouses containing large quantities of narcotic pills, thwart smuggling operations, and arrest dealers and traffickers, smuggling operations continue.

This raises questions about the true scope of the problem, the extent to which this trade is involved in financing terrorist activities, and the challenges countries face in preventing the spread of this cross-border scourge.

In a recent report by the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Muhannad Hage Ali, deputy director of research, suggested that some of the recently seized Captagon shipments may be remnants of Assad-era stockpiles.

However, he also affirmed that production remains active in Syria and Lebanon.

Additionally, Caroline Rose, director of the New Lines Institute, which has been tracking Captagon smuggling for a decade, stated at a seminar held by the Carnegie Endowment that: "Captagon smuggling has expanded to include Iraq, Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands, Egypt, and even Kuwait."

She added: "The Assad regime may not have fully grasped that the structure of this illicit trade was poised to continue even after its fall."

Years of accumulated experience in the Captagon trade and distribution by pro-Iranian militias helped them quickly adapt to the changes that occurred after the fall of Assad's drug empire.

Furthermore, international and regional pressures have impacted the financial ability of these militias, prompting them to intensify and focus their efforts on illicit trades, particularly Captagon.

Captagon proliferation not only affects the health and safety of a society, but its trade also impacts the security and stability of the region as a whole.

The continued solicitation of Captagon by militias is additional evidence of the negative role these militias and Iran play in the region.