Syria Seizes 4 Million Captagon Pills Hidden in Metal Bars at Latakia Port

By Dler Mohammed

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Syrian authorities announced on Saturday the seizure of approximately four million Captagon pills concealed inside 5,000 metal bars at the country’s main Mediterranean port in Latakia, marking one of the largest drug busts since the change in leadership last year.

According to the Syrian Interior Ministry, the pills were discovered in port warehouses and had been "professionally hidden" in preparation for export. “The pills were seized and the necessary legal procedures have begun,” the ministry’s anti-narcotics department said in a Telegram post.

The coastal city of Latakia, located in Syria’s Alawite heartland, has long been a focal point of drug trafficking routes in the region. For over a decade, Syria—under the now-deposed president Bashar al-Assad—emerged as the global hub for Captagon production and smuggling. The synthetic amphetamine, dubbed the “poor man’s cocaine,” became Syria’s most lucrative export during the civil war, with shipments regularly intercepted across the Middle East and Europe.

Following Assad’s ouster in December 2024, the newly installed authorities have uncovered massive quantities of Captagon in warehouses, shipping containers, and even on former military installations. The Latakia bust adds to growing evidence that the country’s infrastructure was heavily exploited for organized narcotics trafficking during Assad’s tenure.

Regional governments, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, have ramped up border security in recent years to combat the surge in Captagon smuggling from Syria. The latest seizure comes amid renewed international efforts to curb Syria’s role in the regional drug trade, which has been linked to funding militia groups and fueling instability.

Officials have not yet disclosed who was behind the attempted export or its intended destination. Investigations are ongoing.