'After more than ten years of civil war, Syria is economically on the ground. According to estimates by the UN, more than 13 million people out of the approximately 20 million inhabitants are dependent on humanitarian aid. The régime under ruler Bashar al-Assad and his followers found their own answer to the economic misery caused by war and sanctions: the illegal drug Captagon.
As current research by the New York Times (NYT) shows, Syria has developed into a new drug state in recent years with a mass production of Captagon in particular. This synthetic drug is of particular concern in the Gulf region and increasingly also in Jordan. This multi-billion dollar drug industry was built by powerful associates and relatives of Assad. In addition to Captagon, according to regional security officials, more dangerous drugs such as crystal meth are increasingly finding their way onto the transport routes.
The system is sophisticated. The production facilities are spread all over the country, and new methods of hiding-place are constantly being used to transport the pills - in hollow pomegranates, in coffee packages and enclosed in lead ingots, which are transported on via our own smuggling networks. As the Economist reported in the summer, production and sales are under the control of the fourth armored division of the Syrian army, which is led by Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad. According to the NYT, Hezbollah also has its fingers in the game. Production sites are militarily guarded or are in a restricted military area.
The NYT based its research on interviews with law enforcement officers in several countries, incumbent and former US officials and Syrians with knowledge of the drug trade. Based on this information and on the basis of pills also confiscated in Europe, it is shown how much drug exports from Syria have recently increased. Drug experts believe that the material found is only a small fraction of the actual amount. In any case, it shows the enormous increase in the recent past.
This year alone, according to the NYT, over 250 million pills have been confiscated - more than 18 times what was found four years ago. There were also seizures in several European countries. Only last year were 84 million pills seized in Italy, this May in Malaysia 94 million pills were found sealed in rubber wagon wheels.
The main buyers for Syrian drugs in the Gulf States are, however, primarily in Saudi Arabia. The previous transit state, Jordan, is also increasingly becoming a buyer. The amount seized in the previous year has doubled compared to the previous year, according to the Jordanian drug unit. Consumers are primarily young people.
The Syrian régime could also use this in regional power struggles. Malik al-Abdeh, a Syrian observer close to the opposition, says the régime is using "drugs as a weapon against the Gulf States": "The message is: normalize relations or we will destroy your youth," he told the Economist.
The drug with the amphetamine fenethylline was used by a German pharmaceutical company from the 1960s as a drug against ADHD, for example. Because it was addictive, it was banned internationally in the late 1980s. It was still produced illegally. During the Syrian war, fighters from all sides took the drug - including members of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS). In the Gulf region, Captagon is still heavily consumed in leisure time. The illegal version of Captagon usually includes several amphetamines, caffeine, and other fillers.
The entire drug business dwarfs Syria's legal exports - especially agricultural products - and is reportedly done with the support of the régime. According to the NYT, the Captagon seizures last year were worth around 2.9 billion US dollars (2.6 billion euros) - more than three times the legal exports from Syria. According to the Economist, the value of all drugs confiscated from Syria was $ 3.4 billion. The magazine cites research by the consulting firm Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR).
“It is literally the Syrian government that is exporting the drugs. It's not thatthey look the other way while the drug cartels do their thing. They are the drug cartel, "said the former US special envoy for Syria, Joel Rayburn, in the NYT interview. Some of the business people involved in the drug business also supported Assad's presidential candidacy in the election in May this year, for example through rallies and poster campaigns.
The drug business is indirectly an important pillar of Assad's stay in power. For Jihad Yazigi, editor of the Syria Report with a focus on the Syrian economy, Captagon is now Syria's most important source of foreign currency. However, this income would not benefit the state. Nothing will change in the economically dramatic situation for the population. Yazigi: "The income is largely invested in the accounts of smugglers and warlords." '
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