Asayish captures 15,000 captagon pills in northeast Syria

“It shows that Captagon traffickers are trying to exploit Northeast Syria as a mode of transit for pills into Iraq.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/03/20 10:09

The Asayish captured 15,000 Captagon pills on Friday (Photo: Asayish Rojava)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Asayish in northeast Syria (Syrian Kurdistan) on Saturday arrested a drug trafficker in the possession of 15,000 Captagon pills in Hasakah, the US-led Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant (SOJTF LEVANT) said.

The @Asayish_Asayis successfully arrested a drug trafficker in possession of 15,000 #Captagon pills in #Al_Hasakah, #Syria. The quick actions of our #Partnerforces highlights their dedication to maintaining safety and stability in the #region. https://t.co/QkzZGT6JD4
— Combined Special Ops Joint Task Force-Levant (@SOJTF_LEVANT) March 18, 2023

The SOJTF LEVANT reported that the Asayish successfully arrested a drug trafficker in possession of 15,000 Captagon pills in Hasakah. “The quick actions of our Partner forces highlights their dedication to maintaining safety and stability in the region.”

“The size of the seizure wasn’t like what we see with industrialized shipments to major destination markets, where pills number in the millions,” said New Lines Institute Director, Caroline Rose, who investigates the Captagon trade in Syria.

“But this is a notable seizure still, as it shows that Captagon traffickers are trying to exploit Northeast Syria as a mode of transit for pills into Iraq. This case proves that traffickers are using civilian cars as a mode of trafficking.”

“We also see that the pills are bright white, which indicates it’s the ‘Lexus’ variant, and is packaged in white plastic bags with Roman numerals, indicating they were produced in regime-held areas in Syria,” she concluded.

Captagon is a brand name for an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is mostly produced in government-controlled parts of Syria.

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.