Samah Abdul Fattah | 2025-10-10

Syria, under Bashar al-Assad’s regime, became the world’s largest producer of Captagon, a lucrative drug trade that fueled regional instability, addiction, and environmental disaster, Syrian activists say.

The regime’s Captagon empire, supported by Hizbullah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), generated billions in revenue while turning the country into a toxic wasteland.

It deliberately flooded neighboring countries with the drug, fueling addiction among youth and creating vast smuggling networks that destabilized the region.

Activists and experts say the drug trade not only isolated the regime diplomatically but left behind hundreds of contaminated sites filled with hazardous chemical waste.

"By turning the country into the world's largest Captagon producer, the former regime created a toxic legacy," said Syrian journalist Mohammed al-Abdullah.

"Not only did it addict youth in Syria and regional countries, but the toxic waste from every stage of production severely poisoned Syria's soil," he said.

Chemical pollution

Captagon production under Assad relied on primitive and dangerous methods.

The process produced about 40 kilograms of highly acidic chemical waste for every kilogram of amphetamine.

"The toxic chemical waste was disposed of using primitive methods, often channeled directly into regular sewers or water drains at the production sites," al-Abdullah said.

These practices contaminated agricultural lands and water sources, creating long-term environmental and health risks.

"The resulting contamination will have severe negative repercussions on the future of Syria's agriculture, significantly increasing the risk of chemical poisoning and various diseases among citizens," he added.

Al-Abdullah said that the Captagon trade also deepened Syria’s isolation.

"The massive Captagon trafficking operation led by the former regime resulted in its isolation, causing a definitive break in relations with Gulf nations and numerous other countries around the world," he told Al-Fassel.

IRGC’s technical support

"The IRGC heavily supported the former Syrian regime, directly helping it establish an integrated network for manufacturing narcotics, particularly Captagon," said Mahmoud Mustafa, an economic expert and professor at Damascus University.

He said that Iran provided both technical expertise and logistical support, enabling Syria to become the world’s primary source of Captagon.

"This turned Syria into the world's primary source of this substance, with revenues estimated at approximately $5.7 billion," he said.

"This illicit revenue directly financed the killing of the Syrian people and the criminal acts committed against them from 2011 until the regime's fall in 2024," Mustafa said.