Syria's New Government, Led by HTS, Dismantles Maher Assad-Linked Captagon Factories

Dec 22, 2024, 01:35 PM

Syria's transitional government is actively dismantling the Captagon production facilities that were a significant source of revenue for the ousted Assad regime. Recent discoveries include a factory in the Damascus countryside linked to Maher Assad, brother of former President Bashar Assad. The facility, located in the Yafour area, was part of a network that turned Syria into the world's largest producer of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-like drug. The new authorities, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa, have vowed to eradicate the drug trade, which was estimated to generate $5.6 billion annually and contribute to a $10 billion global trade. The dismantling of these operations is part of a broader effort to transition away from the war economy that sustained the Assad regime.