UN Says Assad’s Fall Disrupted Syria’s Captagon Production

UNODC research indicates that Captagon production in Syria has been sharply disrupted since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, with 15 industrial-scale labs and 13 storage facilities dismantled and at least 177 million tablets seized across the region since then; however, legacy stockpiles may sustain supply for years. Traffickers are adapting with new routes and repackaging hubs, including in Europe and North Africa, while increased regional cooperation has produced record seizures in 2025. UNODC cautions that focusing solely on supply risks displacement to other drugs, a trend already visible in Jordan where users are shifting toward methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, and misused prescription drugs.