Captagon

Jordan and Syria tout close ties, but border smuggling and strikes tell another story – analysis

A church attack in Karak, a Jordanian strike in southern Syria and a foiled 2 million-pill smuggling run have raised tensions in a region that also borders Israel’s Golan.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Mourners attend the funeral of four members of the same family, including three children, who were killed in a reported Jordanian airstrike in the town of Al-Mismiyah, in Syria's southern Daraa province, October 27, 2026.
Drugs and drug paraphernalia seized from a central Israel apartment on September 22, 2026.

Police seize over 60 kg. of drugs in raids across central Israel

Police also seized millions of shekels' worth of drugs in two separate raids on drug trafficking centers in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Drugs seized by Israel Police, September 22, 2026.

Police seize millions of shekels' worth of drugs in separate West Bank, Jerusalem area raids

The first raid took place in Area A, after Palestinian police officers caught a 48-year-old Israeli in Bethlehem who possessed a large amount of pills suspected to be drugs.

|ByTZVI JASPER
KURDISH INTERNAL security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Syria announces major drug bust through coordination with Iraq against Captagon trafficking

A source in the Syrian Ministry of Interior told The Media Line that anti-narcotics units carried out what he described as a “high-quality” security operation in Homs province.

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE

Follow the flow: Inside Iranian narco-trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan - explainer

In recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for Iranian narco trafficking.

JANUARY 25, 2026ByOBSIDIAN RESEARCH BUREAU
Kurdish internal security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Sharaa regime credited with disrupting Assad-era Captagon empire in major drug bust

The Syrian Interior Ministry claimed to have thwarted an attempt to smuggle nearly 650,000 Captagon pills and other drugs from Lebanon, though no arrests were announced.

JANUARY 13, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
The Syrian anti-narcotics unit allegedly thwarted a large-scale drug smuggling attempt from Lebanese territory, but alleged the suspects were able to escape arrest by retreating into Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia to bolster trade with Lebanon after drug smuggling curbed

Saudi Arabia is set to boost commercial ties with Lebanon after Lebanon curbed drug exports, with a delegation planned for talks on easing trade restrictions.

NOVEMBER 14, 2025ByREUTERS
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, March 30, 2025.

Syria juggling continued challenges, from drug smuggling to ISIS detainees - analysis

The Al-Hol camp has become a hotspot for ISIS detainees, housing tens of thousands of them, while the Homs Governate's anti-narcotics branch seized millions of Captagon pills.

OCTOBER 28, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Women and children stand at al-Hol refugee camp, as some families prepare to leave the camp to go back to their hometowns, in al-Hol, Syria, April 27, 2025.