In what Syrian officials are calling a landmark step toward ending the country’s status as a global narco-state, the transitional government has announced the dismantling of all known Captagon production facilities. The move comes amid a wider campaign to root out the remnants of a billion-dollar drug empire that flourished under the former regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab, in a televised interview with state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV, declared that the government had “confiscated all production equipment and facilities” used in the manufacture of Captagon, a powerful amphetamine that has ravaged communities across the Middle East and beyond.

“Unfortunately, the reality is that Syria has become a drug factory and the top global exporter of Captagon in recent years,” Khattab said. “Our responsibility is to change that reality. As of today, there are no longer any labs producing Captagon in Syria.”

Originally developed in the 1960s in West Germany as a pharmaceutical treatment for attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy, and depression, Captagon (fenethylline) was banned in most countries by the mid-1980s due to its addictive properties. Over the last two decades, however, the drug reemerged-albeit in modified forms-at the heart of an illicit trade network centered in Syria.

Modern Captagon tablets often contain a mix of stimulants such as caffeine, paracetamol, and theophylline, producing a potent, fast-acting high. Its use exploded in war zones, where it was favored by militants and fighters for its ability to suppress fear and fatigue.

As Syria descended into civil war following the 2011 uprising, the Captagon trade........

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