Security

Anbar police forces confiscate two million Captagon pills

Authorities in the Kurdistan Region regularly announce the confiscation of tons of narcotics, particularly in the border areas.

Kurdistan 24 2022/08/15 10:22

A seized cache of captagon tablets hidden in tea boxes to be smuggled, presented at a press conference at the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces in Lebanon's capital Beirut. (Photo: Anwar Amro/AFP)

Iraq Iraq Narcotics

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s police forces in the western Anbar province confiscated at least two million narcotic pills known as Captagon, according to state media.

A “drug dealer” was arrested who had the illicit drugs, according to the police command, reported by the state media on Monday.

The Anbar Police Command did not elaborate further information on the circumstances in which the suspected dealer was arrested.

Known as “Lexus”, the seized Captagon pills are a type of methamphetamine-like stimulant that is widely popular in the Middle East.

The Iraqi security forces regularly announce the seizure of narcotics, which are believed to have seen an uptick following the 2003 Iraq's liberation process.

In a raid in early May, the security forces seized over six million Captagon pills.

“Four thousand drug dealers” have been arrested in the country in connection with the illicit business in the period of three months just in 2022, according to an anti-narcotic official.

Authorities in the Kurdistan Region similarly announce the confiscation of tons of narcotics, particularly in the border areas.

Captagon is a trademark of a narcotic whose production hotspot is Syria. The main consumers are believed to be the Gulf countries, to which Iraq sometimes becomes a trade route.

Users feel mild euphoria after taking Captagon pills. The use of the drug leads to various health problems, including blood pressure, hallucinations, and blurred vision. Irritability and fatigue are also the two most common withdrawal symptoms of Captagon.