Bashar al-Assad’s brutality was already a significant enough factor contributing to the downfall of his regime in Syria at the hands of rebel groups. Now, vast quantities of the illicit drug ‘captagon’ are also reportedly linked to his downfall.
Syrian rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized large stockpiles of captagon at military bases and distribution centres, revealing the darker aspects of Assad’s rule.
Earlier, AFP reported that captagon pills were found hidden inside electrical components destined for export at a quarry on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
The factory, a HTS fighter said, is for Maher al-Assad, a military commander and the brother of the ousted Syrian president.
Once a pharma drug
The catch here is, captagon was once a pharmaceutical drug, similar to those legally valid stimulants like dexamphetamine, which are still used by people with conditions like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a report from The Conversation said.
Captagon is the actual brand name of an old synthetic pharmaceutical stimulant, originally produced in the 1960s in Germany. The drug was used as an alternative for amphetamine and methamphetamine, both used as medicines at the time.
With fenethylline, an active ingredient, as part of the drug, Captagon was initially prescribed for conditions like ADHD and sleeping disorder narcolepsy.
Captagon and amphetamines have similar effects. This drug also increases dopamine in the brain, leads to a feeling of well-being, pleasure and euphoria. Additionally, it improves stamina and concentration.
While there are these pluses, there are some drawbacks too. Captagon can have a lot of unwanted side effects, like low-level psychosis.
Originally, the drug was sold largely in the Middle East region and in parts of Europe. For a brief time, it was available as an over-the-counter medicine (no prescription) in Europe but, soon it became a prescription-only drug.
Its approval period was short-lived in the United States as it was termed as a controlled substance in the 1980s. However, Captagon remained legal for treating narcolepsy in many European countries until relatively recent times.
As per the International Narcotics Control Board, Captagon’s pharmaceutical manufacture was stopped by 2009.
The illegal version
The illicitly produced version of the drug is referred to as captagon, with ‘c’ in the lowercase. It is sometimes also known as “chemical courage” as it is believed to be used by soldiers in the Middle East region’s war-torn areas to help give energy and focus.
As per The Conversation, captagon was found on the bodies of Hamas soldiers in the conflict with Israel.
Since it has a relatively less expensive and straightforward manufacturing process, captagon becomes an obvious target for the black market of drugs.
The illegal drug is now almost exclusively manufactured in Syria and its neighbouring countries like Lebanon, and is mostly used in the Middle East.
Captagon is also used for recreational purposes in some Gulf states.
Captagon in Assad regime
While Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year-long rule was brought to an end by the offensive launched by HTS and its partner rebel groups, his regime was kept afloat throughout Syria’s 13 years of civil war from the revenue that captagon’s sale generated.
Syria turned into the world’s largest narco state by captagon, AFP reported. And by far, the drug is Syria’s biggest export.
A recent report cited by The Conversation highlighted that between 2020 and 2022, captagon generated more than US$7.3 billion in Syria and Lebanon, meaning a revenue of around $2.4 billion per year.
Carnegie scholar Hesham Alghannam, as cited by AFP from the Carnegie Middle East Centre’s July report, said that captagon fueled an epidemic drug abuse in wealthy Gulf countries, even as Assad tried to find ways to bring an end to his diplomatic isolation.
Reportedly, in all its possibility, the chances of captagon’s manufacture reducing in future might only be for a short time.
(with inputs from agencies)
