Amid intensive efforts by countries across the region to eradicate drug manufacturing and trafficking networks, recent years have witnessed a series of major seizures and arrests that have placed the issue of narcotics, Captagon foremost among them, at the center of the regional security equation.<\/p>\n
These operations reveal that the battle is no longer directed solely at small scale dealers, but now targets entrenched criminal syndicates supported by cross border networks equipped with funding and logistical expertise. Warnings have also intensified regarding the possible relocation of drug manufacturing hubs to other countries, particularly Yemen, a move that would heighten regional security risks.<\/p>\n
In Lebanon, for example, September 2025 saw the announcement of the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network that had sought to export Captagon pills and cannabis to Gulf states. A number of prominent figures were arrested, including Nouh Zaiter, known for his influence within the smuggling scene and his links to major trafficking routes between Lebanon and Syria. This arrest marked a clear turning point, demonstrating the authorities\u2019 ability to target the masterminds of major networks, not merely small time dealers, while highlighting enhanced security cooperation between the army and specialized agencies in pursuing high value fugitives.<\/p>\n
In July 2025, a large scale Captagon production facility was dismantled in the town of Yamouneh near Baalbek, described as one of the largest factories ever seized in Lebanon. The army confiscated substantial quantities of manufacturing equipment and drugs and demolished the facility entirely as part of broader efforts to disrupt the domestic production chain.<\/p>\n
In Syria, the current year has similarly witnessed several major seizures. On 21 October, the Ministry of Interior announced the confiscation of nearly twelve million Captagon pills in the Dumayr area near Damascus, an operation described as one of the largest since the transitional government assumed power.<\/p>\n
On 28 October, authorities reported the seizure of eleven million Captagon pills originating from Lebanon in a vehicle intercepted in rural Homs Province. In 2025, in Daraa in southern Syria, authorities seized approximately one point seven million Captagon pills in a security operation. In Aleppo, eight hundred kilograms of cannabis and two hundred thousand Captagon pills were seized during a smuggling attempt, underscoring the persistence of drug flows despite intensified enforcement campaigns.<\/p>\n
The continued targeting of the core infrastructure of drug networks, despite the challenges posed by unregulated border areas, indicates that these seizures have affected not only local drug flows but also aimed to sever the international trafficking routes on which traders relied to expand their operations.<\/p>\n
The simultaneous seizures in Lebanon and Syria suggest that the war on drugs has entered a phase of systematic dismantling of the foundational structures of these networks, rather than merely punishing local dealers or traders. However, the security pressure has yet to achieve a complete and irreversible shutdown of this trade.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, emerging indicators and recent analyses suggest that some drug networks have begun relocating their operations to other areas with fragile security environments, such as Yemen, where they aim to reestablish manufacturing facilities away from the tightening oversight in Lebanon and Syria.<\/p>\n
Yemeni officials have stated that Syrian experts affiliated with these networks have planned to establish a Captagon factory on Yemeni territory. This reflects both adaptability and expansion, highlighting the broader regional challenge facing authorities as they confront transnational drug trafficking operations.<\/p>\n
These developments affirm that the war on drugs has entered a new phase, no longer defined by isolated seizures or the arrests of low level dealers, but by a systematic campaign targeting the structural backbone of major networks. The relocation of operations to countries such as Yemen underscores the magnitude of the challenges ahead and places the conflict firmly on a wide regional agenda that requires international coordination and rigorous follow up to ensure the sustained dismantling of these networks and prevent their spread to other parts of the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Abdulrahman Raboa, an activist and researcher based in Cairo, tells +963 that since the current authorities in Damascus, and over the span of a full year, there has been, according to his account, the seizure and destruction of massive quantities of narcotics valued at more than three billion dollars by unofficial estimates. He adds that dozens of factories and warehouses designated for manufacturing and storing drugs have been exposed and completely destroyed.<\/p>\n
He explains that most of these facilities were located within military or security zones and notes that the so called barons of this trade are now either imprisoned, in hiding, or abroad, after previously holding senior positions under the Assad government.<\/p>\n
He adds that trafficking attempts across the borders have been and continue to be foiled, and that reports of seized drug shipments originating from Syria and heading to neighboring countries are no longer as frequent as they once were. However, he clarifies that these operations have not ceased entirely, as some Syrian regions remain outside the full control of the interim government, which still faces difficulties in reaching and securing all border areas, particularly with Lebanon and Jordan.<\/p>\n
He continues by noting that while Syria once served as a major supplier of narcotics meeting a significant share of the demand in the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, its role has diminished. Syria has reverted to being primarily a receiving rather than a exporting country. Some pockets of production and trafficking continue, but most of these, he explains, remain outside the control of the transitional government.<\/p>\n
Raboa affirms that the actions taken by the interim government are not the result of external pressure but rather stem from its religiously grounded orientation and its desire to demonstrate a clear departure from the previous regime, which he argues had become dependent on drug manufacturing and trafficking during its final six years. He also points to a determined effort to ban the cultivation, import and manufacturing of tobacco and cigarettes or at least impose heavy taxation on them.<\/p>\n
In the same context, Dr. Hisham Awar, a researcher in political and international affairs based in Lebanon, tells +963 that the current campaign against drug traffickers in Syria and Lebanon appears to be part of a sustained security trajectory rather than a mere temporary response to political pressures.<\/p>\n
He adds that the scale of security operations, the dismantling of networks and the increasing number of border seizures all point to a genuine effort, even if effectiveness varies from one region to another. However, he cautions that the situation is not straightforward, as political considerations clearly intersect with security dynamics.<\/p>\n
Regarding Lebanon, he notes that despite major blows dealt to several trafficking networks, a new politically charged development has emerged, namely the behind the scenes discussion of a potential general amnesty law.<\/p>\n
He argues that this environment has created a margin of maneuver for some high level traffickers, prompting several to surrender themselves, not out of a desire for genuine settlement, but in anticipation of a potential forthcoming law that may grant them a safe exit and allow them to resume their activities later. He explains that part of the current wave of voluntary surrenders is a calculated investment in a political moment rather than a genuine submission to state authority.<\/p>\n
In Syria, he explains, the picture is more complex due to overlapping factions and parallel economies. Enforcement operations continue despite the extensive manufacturing and trafficking networks that flourished during years of instability. He notes that these networks have reshaped themselves, altering production lines and routes, making the security confrontation an open ended struggle that risks prolonged attrition.<\/p>\n
He concludes that the security campaign is real and ongoing, yet it unfolds within a fragile political and security environment that enables actors in the drug trade to search for loopholes through which to evade pressure. In Lebanon, this evasion takes the form of betting on an amnesty law. In Syria, it manifests through exploiting disorder to regenerate networks. This, he argues, is why the battle remains long and complex despite the visible security momentum.<\/p>\n
He stresses that these operations are not limited to small scale dealers but extend to major network leaders. The most notable evidence, he says, is the arrest of influential figures such as Nouh Zaiter, reflecting a transition from superficial cleanup efforts to the targeting of the structural foundations that manage production, trafficking and financing.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he notes that this targeting is not comprehensive, as many operations still focus on lower and middle tiers, while some major networks manage to navigate political and security gaps and reorganize after each blow.<\/p>\n
He continues by emphasizing that arrests of high profile figures such as Noah Zaiter confirm that the leadership ranks are not immune, yet the battle against major networks remains partial and inconclusive, and these networks retain the capacity to adapt and endure despite their losses.<\/p>\n
In the Lebanese context, Awar explains that security efforts are escalating at an unprecedented pace, with agencies focusing on dismantling primary manufacturing sites and tracing core smuggling routes while directly targeting the influential leaders of these networks.<\/p>\n
He adds that this strategy demonstrates a clear intent to strike at the deep infrastructure of these networks rather than merely the small scale dealers, through operations that combine intelligence monitoring and coordinated ambushes to sever trafficking pathways and weaken logistical capacities.<\/p>\n
He further notes that Syrian authorities are coordinating directly with Lebanon against cross border networks attempting to smuggle drugs into Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. He views this coordination as reflecting close intelligence cooperation and joint operations aimed at tightening the noose on criminal syndicates and destroying their operational structures before they expand, a trend indicative of heightened regional pressure.<\/p>\n
He also highlights the policy of Lebanese Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani, who has proposed channeling confiscated drugs, after proper processing, toward medical use rather than destroying them, thereby linking security operations with a strategic benefit from seized materials.<\/p>\n
Awar adds, in his broader regional analysis, that Arab pressures play a critical role in determining the timing and intensity of campaigns against drug networks, particularly after the exposure of massive smuggling operations targeting Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. This has placed Lebanese and Syrian authorities under direct scrutiny and urgency, prompting intensified raids and intelligence operations to target trafficking routes and major network leaders.<\/p>\n
He notes that external pressure shapes not only the timing of the campaigns but also the selection of targets, with networks that have international reach becoming priority targets while operations focused solely on local dealers recede in importance.<\/p>\n
He concludes by stating that neither the Lebanese nor the Syrian government currently possesses transparent or methodical mechanisms to measure the progress of these campaigns. Most decisions are driven by field developments and immediate pressures rather than clear indicators or periodic evaluations. In Lebanon, campaign intensity fluctuates with the scale of international trafficking attempts, while in Syria, changes in trafficking routes and ongoing instability influence the frequency and effectiveness of operations.<\/p>\n
He asserts finally that any assessment of success remains temporary and narrow in scope, based largely on the seizure of specific quantities or the arrest of certain individuals, without a means to measure long term impact or ensure the genuine dismantlement of major networks.<\/p>\n
\n
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Amid intensive efforts by countries across the region to eradicate drug manufacturing and trafficking networks, recent years have witnessed a series of major seizures and arrests that have placed the issue of narcotics, Captagon foremost among them, at the center of the regional security equation. These operations reveal that the battle is no longer directed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":40552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"0","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"g:i a d\/m\/Y","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"5","zoom_button_in_step":"4","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Shift to Yemen: Drug Networks Relocate Amid Rising Pressure"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[430,19],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[390,166],"class_list":["post-40551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"\n