Captagon is a synthetic amphetamine-style stimulant. Developed by pharmaceutical companies in the 1960s and 1970s, it was eventually proscribed from commercial use and listed as an illegal drug. Over the past two decades, illegal production of Captagon has accelerated dramatically in the Middle East, where it is easily synthesised at scale using simple chemistry techniques and inexpensive raw materials.
In the midst of its long-running civil war, Syria has become the dominant producer of Captagon. Captagon sales now serve as the government’s principal source of foreign hard currency while under sweeping international sanctions. Of a global trade estimated in 2021 at US$5.7 billion, as much as 80% of the total may come from Syria.
This paper examines how two of Syria’s bordering countries, Iraq and Jordan, address challenges arising from the flow of Captagon and how the United States and leading European stakeholders are working to combat Captagon. It outlines current gaps in the literature around Captagon and proposes potential lines of inquiry that could unlock innovative and impactful programmatic and policy interventions.