Syrian anti-narcotics forces have arrested one of the country’s most prominent drug traffickers in the southern province of Daraa, seizing thousands of narcotic pills and a cache of weapons as authorities press ahead with an intensified crackdown on the illicit drug trade.
Arrest and Seizure in Nasib
Syria’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said the suspect was arrested during a security operation in the town of Nasib following a period of surveillance and intelligence gathering that identified his location. The raid resulted in the seizure of 15,960 Captagon pills, 5,560 narcotic pharmaceutical tablets and a quantity of medium-caliber weapons and ammunition, the agency said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA on Friday.
National Campaign Against Drugs
The arrest is the latest in a series of operations launched by Syria’s interim authorities, who have vowed to dismantle the country’s once-thriving narcotics industry and eradicate trafficking networks that flourished under the government of former president Bashar Assad. Last week, President Ahmad Al-Sharaa described combating drugs as “a national program and a shared responsibility,” saying Syria had inherited a heavy burden of drug production and trafficking from the ousted regime and was pursuing a comprehensive campaign to eliminate the threat.
Marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, Al-Sharaa said the government was committed to dismantling production sites, disrupting smuggling routes and strengthening cooperation with regional and international partners to confront the cross-border threat. The Interior and Health ministries have since launched the national campaign “Drug-Free Syria,” while authorities say they are balancing security measures with rehabilitation and treatment efforts.
Scale of Operations
Brig. Gen. Khaled Eid, director of the DEA, said authorities have carried out 1,550 anti-drug operations since the fall of Assad’s government, dismantled 90 international trafficking networks and shut down 17 Captagon factories. Officials say the operations have led to the seizure of about 697 million Captagon pills, 15 tons of hashish, 10 million narcotic tablets, 180 kilograms of cocaine, 84.5 kilograms of crystal meth and seven kilograms of heroin, along with 221 tons of chemical precursors.
Recent Smuggling Attempt Foiled
The latest arrest follows another major operation this week in which Syrian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 832,000 Captagon tablets from Lebanon into the Al-Nabek district and arrested one suspect. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has said that large-scale Captagon production in Syria was disrupted following Assad’s ouster in December 2024, although major seizures continue across the region as authorities seek to dismantle the remnants of the trade.
