Syria foils attempt to smuggle 4 million captagon pills

Syrian authorities said Monday they had intercepted a large-scale drug smuggling operation involving four million captagon tablets, a powerful stimulant that has become a major regional narcotics concern.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry said the tablets were discovered concealed within industrial machinery designed for producing flour for human consumption.

Officials reportedly acted on precise intelligence that led them to the shipment, which was intercepted before it could leave the country.

The bust took place in the strategic port city of Latakia, the coastal city has previously been a key transit hub for captagon trafficking during Syria’s years of conflict.

Under Assad's rule, captagon emerged as Syria’s most lucrative illicit export, fueling regional addiction and providing critical revenue amid international sanctions. Since his ouster in December, the new leadership has uncovered large stockpiles of the drug in former regime facilities, including military installations.

Authorities said the suspects behind the smuggling operation have been arrested, the machinery has been confiscated, and legal proceedings are underway under the direction of the public prosecution.

The announcement comes just a week after Syrian officials reported the seizure of approximately nine million captagon tablets destined for Turkey following a month-long investigation.

In recent months, neighboring countries have made several high-profile interceptions. Iraqi forces in March seized over a tonne of captagon smuggled through Turkey from Syria, while Jordanian authorities in April blocked a separate attempt to move hundreds of thousands of pills across the border.