EU sanctions Syria's ruling Assad family over amphetamine trafficking

The European Union has imposed sanctions on several Syrians – including members of President Bashar al-Assad’s family – accusing them of producing and trafficking the stimulant drug captagon, a key source of income for the Damascus regime.

The production and sale of captagon amphetamines is financing President Bashar al-Assad's regime. © Reuters

Asset freezes and travel bans were imposed on 25 people and 8 “entities” – most of them companies – at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

In a statement, the European Union said: “The majority of today’s designations target individuals and entities responsible for the production and trafficking of narcotics, notably captagon.

“The trade in amphetamine has become a regime-led business model, enriching the inner circle of the regime and providing it with revenue that contributes to its ability to maintain its policies of repression against the civilian population,” it added.

• Bashar al-Assad’s uncle found guilty in France over 'ill-gotten gains' empire

Experts say captagon is primarily produced in Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, from where packages containing millions of pills are smuggled into Gulf countries, Europe and elsewhere.

The trade allegedly has strong ties to Assad and his associates, as well as the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, a key ally.

According to UK estimates, the captagon industry is worth over €50 billion to Assad, and has been a major source of revenue throughout the Syrian conflict, now in its 13th year.

VIDEO: 🇸🇾 After more than a decade of appalling civil war, Syria has turned into a narco-state thanks to a drug called Captagon. The stimulant is now by far Syria’s biggest export, dwarfing all its legal exports put together@AFP investigates the phenomenon pic.twitter.com/Oggx3uW3Mx

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 13, 2022

Drug trade finances pro-Assad militia

Assad’s brutal crackdown on protests in 2011 led to his global isolation, with his forces accused of torture, bombing civilian infrastructure, and using chemical weapons with the support of allies Russia and Iran.

The EU has imposed sanctions on private security companies operating in Syria and the people working for them.

• German court sentences Syrian torture colonel to life in prison

Brussels maintains the entities targeted also act as shell companies for regime-affiliated militia groups and supports them though activities such as the recruitment of members.

To date, European sanctions against Syria target 322 individuals and 81 business entities.