Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, huge Captagon factories have been discovered across Syria. These contributed to financing the scheme to the tune of 9.5 billion euros.
Cannabis and a million Captagon pills (an amphetamine-type stimulant often called the “jihad drug”) were burned in Damascus on Wednesday.
Syrian rebel forces, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC) group, seized large stocks of this drug in several military bases and warehouses in Damascus and its outskirtsin the former zone controlled by the intelligence services of deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
“We immediately responded to the report and found the warehouse, which was searched by the special drug units”explains Osama Al-Ayoubi, Syrian state security officer.
“We found a Captagon warehouse containing around a million pills and cannabis. We immediately destroyed it in the presence of the General Security Administration of the Ministry of the Interior”.
Since the fall of the regime, industrial-scale Captagon production facilities have been discovered across the country. According to experts, these operations generated an annual income of 9.5 billion euros for the regime.
Nearly 14 years of civil war have torn Syria apart, devastated the economy and created fertile ground for Captagon production.
The militias, field commanders and the government of Bashar al-Assad have completely transformed drug production in the country. From a small-scale operation run by criminal groups, it has become a massive industrial revenue source.
First Christmas since the fall of Bashar al-Assad
Christmas Eve, Syrian Christians attended a service in Damascus for the first time since the fall of the dictator early December.
Maira, a Christian living in Damascus, says that“there is a difference between the state of mind that reigned under the regime and that of today”.
But tensions remain high in Syria. A few hours before the ceremony, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the capital to condemn the burning of a Christmas tree in a town near Hama.
Participants in the demonstration chanted:“We want to protect our lands and our homes! We want to participate in the governance of the country”while calling on the new authorities to show tolerance towards Christians, who represent less than 2% of the population.