Context:- Syria has become the world’s largest ‘narco-state‘ and most of its foreign exchange earnings come from the production and export of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine commonly referred to as “poor man’s coke“.
An Overview of the News
- Drug trafficking, is especially Captagon, which is a significant part of Syria’s economy. It accounts for more than 90 percent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings according to criteria to be classified as a world’s largest ‘narco-state‘.
- Experts have indicated that Syria is the major producer of Captagon, with much of it exported to the Gulf region. Following a crackdown on protesters by President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 and subsequent sanctions or trade embargoes with Syria, the Lebanese regime along with Hezbollah increased the production and export of Captagon to the Gulf countries.
- The US enacted the Captagon Act last year, linking the drug trade to the Assad regime in Syria and labelling it an “international security threat“.
About Syria
Capital – Damascus
Official language – Arabic
President – Bashar al-Assad
Vice President –Najah Al-Attar
Prime Minister –Hussain Arnoos
Speaker of the People’s Assembly – Hammouda Sabbagh
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