The war on Captagon continues.. the Ministry of Interior announces the dismantling of a drug network

The Ministry of Interior announced the dismantling of drug smuggling networks it described as "international", through joint security operations with the Iraqi side, which resulted in the seizure of about one million Captagon pills, in one of the most prominent operations announced during the recent period.

The Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Wednesday, April 8, that the Anti-Narcotics Department carried out operations in cooperation with the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances in Iraq, and included three "qualitative" security operations that targeted networks specialized in trafficking and smuggling of narcotics across the border, without identifying the exact locations for carrying out these operations.

The ministry added that security forces were able to seize "large" quantities of narcotic pills, estimated at about one million Captagon pills, in addition to arresting four people it said were key elements in these networks, without revealing their full identities.

For his part, the director of relations and media at the Directorate of Narcotics Affairs at the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, Ziad al-Qaisi, announced the dismantling of an international network and the arrest of its members during joint operations with the Syrian side.

Al-Qaisi said in a press conference that the operations were based on joint intelligence between the two parties, and resulted in the seizure of one million Captagon pills, noting that the defendants have been referred to the judiciary to complete the legal proceedings against them.

These operations come within the framework of "continuous and fruitful co-operation" between the security agencies of the two countries, he said, with the aim of pursuing cross-border drug smuggling networks and curbing the spread of narcotics in the region.

Continuous cooperation

These operations come in the context of ongoing security cooperation between Damascus and Baghdad in the fight against drugs, as the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced, on October 22, 2025, the seizure of 108 kilograms of hashish and 1.27 million Captagon pills, in coordination with the Iraqi side.

According to the ministry's statement at the time, the authorities arrested a number of internationally wanted suspects, as part of cross-border smuggling networks, through joint field and intelligence coordination.

On the other hand, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior said that a force from the General Directorate of Narcotics Control carried out a "qualitative" operation in coordination with the Syrian side, noting that one of its detachments entered Syrian territory and managed to seize about 320 kilograms of narcotic substances.

The two ministries confirmed at the time that these operations come as part of joint efforts to pursue smuggling networks and curb the spread of drugs in the region, in light of the continued security and intelligence coordination between the two countries.

Syrian-Jordanian cooperation

Last October, the  anti-narcotics forces in Syria and Jordan foiled seven attempts to smuggle narcotics across the two countries' common borders as part of ongoing security co-operation to counter smuggling networks.

The Ministry of Interior said at the time that joint security operations between the two sides resulted in the seizure of about one million narcotic pills intended for smuggling and promotion, in addition to the arrest of a number of those involved in these cases.

The cooperation between the anti-narcotics departments in Damascus and Amman included the exchange of intelligence and the coordination of field efforts, which led to the dismantling of organized criminal networks that are active in drug smuggling and pose a direct threat to the security of the two countries and the region, the statement added.

The two sides stressed that these operations represent a model of bilateral security cooperation in confronting the phenomenon of drug smuggling, noting that "combating this scourge is not only a security task, but also a humanitarian and moral responsibility that requires broad regional and international cooperation."