Is Syria Still the Leading Producer of Captagon?

The Short Answer

Yes, according to intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and international organizations, Syria remains the undisputed global epicenter for the production and trafficking of Captagon. The scale of production there dwarfs that of any other country.

The Evidence and Current Situation

Syria's dominance in the Captagon trade solidified over the past decade, transforming from a transit route to the primary production hub. This industry is now a cornerstone of the war economy and a key financial lifeline for the regime of Bashar al-Assad and its allied militias.

Scale of Production: The numbers are staggering. Seizures of Captagon pills originating from Syria routinely amount to hundreds of millions of pills annually. For example, a single seizure in Italy in 2020 involved 84 million pills, and another in Greece in 2021 seized 33 million. The vast majority of Captagon found in the Gulf region is sourced from Syria.

Industrialization and Control: Production has moved from small, clandestine labs to industrial-scale facilities. These are often located in regime-held areas, including inside seemingly legitimate industrial zones and ports like Latakia and Tartus. Reports from the BBC, Reuters, and think tanks like the Carnegie Endowment have detailed the direct involvement of figures within Assad's inner circle, including his brother Maher al-Assad and the Fourth Armored Division, as well as Hezbollah, which provides technical expertise and smuggling routes.

Function as a Sanctions-Busting Mechanism: For the isolated Assad regime, Captagon is an ideal export. It is high-value, low-bulk, and generates billions of dollars in hard currency, effectively bypassing international sanctions. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the U.S. Treasury Department have explicitly stated that the trade is a key revenue source for the regime.

Has There Been Any Change?

While Syria's lead is unchallenged, there have been some shifts:

Increased International Pressure: In 2023 and 2024, there has been a significant uptick in diplomatic and law enforcement pressure. Several Arab states that once tolerated the regime are now demanding it crack down on the trade as a condition for normalization. The U.S. Congress has passed the CAPTAGON Act, which mandates sanctions targeting the trade.

Adaptation by Traffickers: In response to increased scrutiny, traffickers are constantly adapting routes and methods, using more complex shipping paths and hiding pills in legitimate goods.

Production Elsewhere: It is important to note that Captagon is also produced in other locations, notably southern Lebanon (controlled by Hezbollah) and to a lesser extent in Jordan and Iraq. However, the scale, organization, and political protection of the industry in Syria make it unique and dominant.

Conclusion

Despite growing international pressure, Syria remains the world's leading producer and exporter of Captagon. The trade is not a side effect of the conflict but a deeply embedded, regime-sponsored industry that provides crucial financial and political stability for Assad. Any efforts to dismantle the global Captagon network must directly confront its core operations within Syria, which continue to operate on an industrial scale.

Sources: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Europol, U.S. Treasury Department, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, BBC News.