Inside the largest known captagon lab financing the Assad regime

[canetoad]

Douma, Syria: The industrial-scale drug lab sat just up a hill from a main road on the western edge of Damascus, the city that was the seat of power for the Assad family which long denied any links to the narcotics trade.

Deposed president Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria was accused by Washington and others of profiteering from the production and sale of the addictive amphetamine-like stimulant commonly known as captagon, which became entrenched across the Middle East, from front lines of wars to construction sites and high-end parties.

The annual trade in captagon is worth billions of dollars a year, experts say, and Western governments have linked the illicit trade in Syria to Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, and the Fourth Division of the Syrian army he commanded.
Maher’s whereabouts are unknown and Reuters could not reach him for comment on the allegations.

More: https://www.theage.com.au/world/middle-east/inside-the-largest-known-captagon-lab-financing-the-assad-regime-20241214-p5kycy.html

Archive: https://archive.md/65xPc

[Igel]

1. Every time this drug is mentioned in the press I worry for a few months.

Because it's mostly a European and "MENA" thing but there's nothing keeping it from spreading except demand by users and effort by cooks.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Ten years ago, there was a LOT of cheerleading for Assad

Amongst the horseshoe left (you know, for "standing up against Western imperialism or some such bullshit). Even less crazy members of the left at best turned a completely blind eye at hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths courtesy of Assad's chemical weapons and Putin's Su-34 Fullbacks. Hell, Assange and WikiLeaks have even openly assisted Assad on numerous occasions:

https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/how-an-email-sting-operation-unearthed-a-pro-assad-conspiracy-and-russias-role-in-it/

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/01/meeting-assad-wikileaks-did-not-know

If there's any justice anywhere, the Greenwalds, Taibbis, Scahills, Snowdens and Assanges of the world would be facing the wrath of God for the role they played in this human rights disaster...