Syrian authorities have seized about 11 million captagon stimulant pills smuggled into the country from neighbouring Lebanon, the interior ministry announced on Monday.
In a statement, the ministry said the anti-narcotics branch in Homs province intercepted a vehicle “coming from Lebanon containing approximately 11 million captagon pills.”
The ministry added that investigations are underway to identify those involved and uncover the criminal networks behind the operation.
The seizure is one of the largest since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whose regime was accused of overseeing the production and trafficking of the drug during the country’s civil war.
Captagon, an amphetamine-like stimulant, became Syria’s most profitable export during the conflict, providing a significant source of revenue for Assad’s government.
Since his ouster in December, Syria’s new authorities have reported multiple major busts across the country, even as neighbouring states continue to intercept shipments linked to the illicit trade.
Lebanon, a key transit point for the drug, has also ramped up enforcement. In September, the Lebanese military announced the seizure of 64 million captagon pills in one of the country’s largest-ever drug operations.
Hezbollah, an ally of Assad, has faced long-standing allegations of financing its activities through the captagon trade, which has flooded markets across the Middle East despite regional efforts to curb it.