What is a drug captain and how is he connected to the fallen Assad regime in Syria?

After the fall of the al-Assad regime, a enormous stockpile of illegal drugs was accumulated in Syria have apparently been discovered.

Stockpiles found by Syrian rebels are believed to be linked to Al-Assad’s military command, pointing to the failed regime in the production and distribution of drugs.

But as we will see, captagon was once a pharmaceutical drug, similar to some legally available stimulants that we still employ today to treat conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Captagon used to be a pharmaceutical

Captagon is the original brand of an elderly synthetic pharmaceutical stimulant Made in Germany in the 1960s. It was an alternative to amphetamine and methamphetamine, which were used as drugs at the time.

The medicine has it active ingredient phenethyline and was initially sold on terms including: ADHD and narcolepsy with sleep disorders. It had a similar employ to some legally available stimulants that we still employ today, such as dexamphetamine.

Captagon has similar effects to amphetamine. It increases dopamine levels in the brain, which leads to feelings of well-being, pleasure and euphoria. It also improves focus, concentration and endurance. However, it has many unwanted side effects such as low-level psychosis.

The drug was originally sold mainly in the Middle East and parts of Europe. It was available over the counter in Europe for a brief time before becoming available by prescription only.

It was only briefly approved in the United States before becoming a controlled substance in the 1980s, but remains legal in the treatment of narcolepsy in many European countries until relatively recently.

According to International Drug Control Council Pharmaceutical production of Captagon was stopped in 2009.

The illegal trade has taken over

The illegally produced version is usually referred to as captagon (with a petite c). This is sometimes called “chemical courage” because it is believed to be used by soldiers in war-torn areas of the Middle East to lend a hand them focus and energize.

For example, it was reportedly found on bodies of Hamas soldiers during the conflict with Israel.

Its production is relatively simple and inexpensivemaking it an obvious target for the black market drug trade.

Captain of the black market it is now produced almost exclusively in Syria and neighboring countries such as Lebanon. It is mainly used in the Middle East, including: recreationally in some Persian Gulf countries.

It is one of the most commonly used illegal drugs in Syria.

AND latest report suggests that Captagon generated more than $7.3 billion in Syria and Lebanon between 2020 and 2022 (approximately $2.4 billion annually).

Generally speaking, what we know about illicit drugs is that any seizures or restrictions on production or sale have a very restricted impact on the drug market because another producer or distributor comes in to meet demand.

So most likely, given the size of the Kaptagon market in the Middle East, these latest drug discoveries and seizures are likely to reduce production only for a brief time.