📰 Captagon stockpiles remain despite dismantling of industry in Syria – UN

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations disclosed on Monday the dismantling of significant-scale production networks of the synthetic drug captagon in Syria following the fall of the al-Assad regime. In a press release, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated that Syria has shut down 15 industrial-scale laboratories and 13 smaller facilities used primarily for storage since December 2024.

The UN noted that significant drug control operations across the region continue to uncover significant quantities of captagon pills originating from Syria, indicating that significant stockpiles remain in circulation. as per UNODC, smaller-scale captagon production has not been completely eliminated and is still taking place in Syria and neighboring countries. The office also warned that the disruption of the captagon industry in Syria could drive some consumers in the region toward methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs, potentially reshaping regional drug markets. “The ongoing disruption of manufacturing and trafficking, however, may shift traffickers and people who use drugs toward methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs, accelerating their expansion across the region. ” Reporting by Abdulsalam Khoja Editing by Jwan Shekaki