Syria arrests cousin of toppled leader Assad over drug trafficking, militia ties

Syrian security forces have arrested Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, according to a report by the state-run SANA news agency on Saturday.

Wassim al-Assad was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 for his leadership of a pro-regime paramilitary group and his role in the trafficking of narcotics, including the widely smuggled amphetamine-like drug Captagon.

His arrest comes months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebellion in December, which forced him to flee to Moscow. Since the collapse of the former regime, many of Assad’s relatives and top aides have either gone into hiding or left the country.

Syria’s new security forces have been actively pursuing figures from the previous government, particularly those connected to the country’s notorious intelligence agencies, long accused of widespread human rights violations.

Human rights organizations have urged the new authorities to establish a full transitional justice process aimed at holding former officials accountable for abuses committed during Assad’s rule.