CNN
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A video surfaced on social media on Wednesday purporting to show a warehouse in Syria full of Captagon, an illegal drug that turned the country into a drug state under the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad.

The large warehouse was reportedly located at the headquarters of a military division near Damascus commanded by Assad’s brother Maher. CNN is unable to immediately verify the location.

A voice commenting on the video says it is “one of the largest Captagon pill manufacturing warehouses.” Stacks of pills and drug manufacturing equipment lie on the floor.

If confirmed, the discovery would support claims by the United States and others that the Assad regime was actively involved in exporting the drug. Captagon has become a significant social problem in neighboring Arab countries, prompting some of them to enter into talks with the former Syrian regime to curb trade in Captagon.

It is a highly addictive drug that primarily contains amphetamine and is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s cocaine.” Studies in recent years have shown that the annual trade in the drug is worth billions of dollars. It is believed to have become an economic lifeline for the Assad regime while under crippling American sanctions.

This week, Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya news agency reported the discovery of thousands of Captagon pills at the Mazzeh air base south of Damascus. The alleged discovery, which CNN cannot confirm, was made at a branch of Air Force Intelligence, an arm of the Assad regime that was previously allegedly involved in the production and distribution of the drug.

Last year, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a number of Syrians closely linked to the Assad regime for alleged involvement in the Captagon trade.

“The Syrian regime and its allies have increasingly turned to the production and trading of Captagon to generate hard currency, estimated by some to be in the billions of dollars,” the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions included two cousins ​​of Bashar al-Assad and Khalid Qaddour, a close confidant of Maher al-Assad who was described as a “major drug producer and supporter” of Captagon production in Syria.

On Sunday, the leader of the forces that overthrew the regime – Mohammad al Jolani – said after arriving in Damascus that Syria had become “the world’s leading source of Kaptagon”. But today, by the grace of God Almighty, Syria is being cleansed.”

In 2023, the Biden administration outlined a strategy to combat Captagon trafficking, stating that the vast majority “was produced by local Syrian factions linked to the Assad regime and Hezbollah” and that “large quantities of this Captagon -Pills will be shipped from Syrian ports.” like Latakia or smuggled across the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.”

According to a report from the Carnegie Endowment earlier this year, the Assad regime and its allies had “used the Capitol trade to pressure Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, to reintegrate Syria into the Arab world.”

It said the production of the drug was “intertwined with the interests of powerful stakeholders in Syria, including senior members of the leadership.”

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime reported last year that “the main departure areas for Captagon shipments” remain in Syria and Lebanon, “with destinations in the Gulf Arab states either directly by land or sea, or indirectly with shipments via other countries can be reached.” Regions.”

The UNODC also reported that the largest seizures of the drug – about two-thirds of the total – occurred in Saudi Arabia. CNN has previously reported on the drug’s widespread use in the kingdom.

In 2022, the Saudi ambassador to Beirut reported that the kingdom’s authorities had seized 700 million tablets smuggled from Lebanon since 2014.

Several studies suggest that Captagon trading has increased significantly over the last decade. The Middle East Institute reported that nearly $6 billion worth of Captagon pills made in Syria were seized abroad in 2021, and 25 million Captagon pills worth around $500 million were seized in neighboring countries in April 2022 alone were confiscated.