Captagon, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant, has been trafficked illegally from the Middle East to Africa and back, with around 80 per cent of global seizures since 2019 linked to Syria as the country of origin, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). However, new UNODC research indicates that one year after the regime change in Syria, large-scale production of the drug has been significantly disrupted, marking a major shift in the regional drug landscape.
The research brief notes that since December 2024, Syrian authorities have dismantled 15 industrial-scale captagon laboratories and 13 smaller storage facilities. Prior to this period, daily production in Syria was estimated to reach millions of tablets, and existing stockpiles could still sustain supply for years if not intercepted. While manufacturing is believed to be continuing elsewhere in the Middle East, intensified interdiction efforts have contributed to reduced availability in some markets, driving up prices in parts of the Gulf and in countries neighbouring Syria.
UNODC highlights that increased regional cooperation, intelligence sharing and joint operations have led to record seizures over the past year. Since December 2024, at least 177 million captagon tablets, equivalent to about 30 tonnes, have been intercepted across the Arab region. At the same time, traffickers have adapted by diversifying routes and using new smuggling methods, including drones and balloons, to move drugs across land borders.
Despite these gains, UNODC warns that continued disruption of the captagon market could push traffickers and users toward other synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine. The brief therefore calls for a comprehensive response that combines law enforcement with prevention and treatment efforts. A broader UNODC report examining synthetic drug markets across Arab countries is expected to be released in June 2026.
