Since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, industrial-scale production facilities for the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon have been uncovered across the country. Experts believe that sales of the drug – mainly produced in Syria and widely trafficked to West Asia – are worth an estimated $10 billion a year.
Over the years, the proliferation of Captagon became an economic lifeline for al-Assad and his allies as Syria continued to struggle with an economic crisis following the outbreak of the 2011 civil war.
Here’s a look at Captagon, its side effects, and how Syria built its Captagon empire.
What is Captagon?
The currently popular Captagon is actually a counterfeit version of the same brand name drug that was first produced by the German company Degussa Pharma Group in the 1960s. They were developed to help treat attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy and other conditions.
The original Captagon contained phenethylline, a synthetic drug in the phenethylamine family to which amphetamine is also related, according to a report by Al Jazeera. It was sold commercially in many countries until the 1980s and was banned due to fears of its highly addictive nature.
In the following decades, new illicit tablets, mainly containing amphetamine, labeled Captagon appeared in Bulgaria from where criminal networks in the Balkans and Turkey smuggled them into the Arabian Peninsula. However the authorities led a strict crackdown on production, crippling supply. The drug finally made a comeback after 2011 but this time in Syria, where a bloody civil war has plunged the country into economic crisis.
What do amphetamine-based drugs do?
According to a 2015 report published by Vox, Captagon pills, like other amphetamine-based drugs, stimulate the central nervous system, “providing a boost of energy, increasing one’s focus, allowing one to stay awake longer, and producing feelings of euphoria.”
However, they don’t help someone gain “supernatural alertness, bravery, strength, or pain resistance” — anyone taking any amphetamine-based drug can feel some kind of placebo effect, which can lead to erratic behavior, the report noted. .
Captagon or other amphetamine-type drugs usually stay in the blood for about 36 hours. When taken orally, their peak effect occurs one to three hours after consumption, and the effect lasts seven to 12 hours.
What are their side effects?
Amphetamine use can cause loss of appetite and weight, heart problems such as fast heartbeat, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and heart attack, which can lead to death. They can cause high body temperature, skin flush, memory loss, trouble thinking clearly, and even stroke.
People generally do not become addicted to prescription amphetamines when they are taken in the correct dosage to treat their illness. However, addiction occurs when the drug is consumed to get high or improve performance, Medline Plus noted on its website.
“Addiction can lead to tolerance. Tolerance means you need more and more of the drug to get the same high feeling. And if you try to stop using, your mind and body can react,” it added.
How did Syria build its captagon empire?
In the midst of Syria’s economic turmoil and the heavy sanctions imposed on it, Assad’s government recognized the opportunity for cheaply produced medicine. The Captagon trade began to industrialize around 2018–2019 as the Assad regime—and other armed groups in Syria—invested in production facilities, warehouses, and smuggling networks.
This allowed Syria to emerge as the largest producer of captagon globally, with some production also taking place in Lebanon. According to data from the New Lines Captagon Trade Project, an initiative of the New Lines Institute think tank, most of the seized shipments of Captagon came from Syria. Evidence of the Assad regime’s sponsorship of the Captagon industry is overwhelming, a report published in May said. The security office of the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Armored Division, led by Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher, oversaw operations and created a coordinated production system, the report added.
(with input from AP)
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