5 Million Captagon Pills Seized in Beirut Airport

On Wednesday, Lebanese Customs Authority seized 5 million Captagon pills at Beirut port. The pills were hidden inside machines used for the manufacture of tiles, before being smuggled to Greece and the Gulf states.

According to the airport sources, three of the merchandise owners were arrested, one of them was identified as Ali. S.

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Although consumption of Captagon outside the Middle East is relatively minor, according to the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), it is a popular drug in the Gulf where it has been used for decades as a stimulant.

Lebanon and neighbouring Syria are believed to be conduit routes for the highly addictive amphetamine and it has become synonymous among Daesh fighters and various armed factions in conflict zones in the region, it has sometimes been labelled "the drug of jihad" as a result. Lebanon is also the world's third largest supplier of hashish after Morocco and Afghanistan.

In July last year, Italian police intercepted three containers at the port of Salerno carrying 84 million Captagon pills worth $1.12 billion destined for Europe. Although previous reports suggested that they were produced and shipped by Daesh, later reports claimed that a Syrian businessman linked to President Bashar Al-Assad was more likely involved.