Iraqi forces seize 100k Captagon pills in Anbar

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi security forces on Wednesday seized 100,000 Captagon pills and arrested three dealers in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, according to a statement.

The Security Media Cell announced that they had arrested the dealers who had a large amount of Captagon, which is a methamphetamine-like drug.

The security forces in the country have confiscated millions of Captagon pills in recent years, which has seen a dramatic increase in the use and trade of illicit drugs.

Captagon pills, a brand name for an amphetamine-like stimulant, are one of the most widely trafficked drugs in Iraq. It is believed that most of the low-cost drugs are produced in war-torn Syria and widely trafficked to the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others.

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

In July this year, the Iraqi security forces found a Captagon lab in Muthana province "for the first time," an Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson said at the time.

Iraq last year announced the confiscation of one of the largest batches of the pill, estimated to be over six million tablets. Paragliders, seized by the government, had been used to transport the drugs into Iraq’s neighboring countries.