Turkey seizes 11 million pills of ‘Syria war drug’

Anti-narcotics police confiscated over 10.9 million pills weighing almost two tons in two separate raids in the Hatay region on the border with Syria this week, the official Anatolia news agency and Hurriyet daily quoted the Interior Ministry as saying. Captagon, based on the amphetamine phenethylline (also spelt Fenethylline), a synthetic stimulant, is a hugely popular drug in the Middle East and produced in Syria, according to Arab News .

It has been repeatedly dubbed as the drug fueling Syria's civil war since its production provides income for the warring factions and also keeps fighters awake and energized over long periods. Large quantities of the drug are also illegally smuggled abroad, with Saudi Arabia a major market where the authorities repeatedly report seizures. The reports said that 7.3 captagon pills were seized in one raid and were set to be shipped to Gulf countries by sea hidden in 1,300 oil filters. Another 3.6 million pills were seized in a depot, the reports added. One Syrian citizen and two Turkish nationals have been detained on suspicion of trying to organize the smuggling, the reports said. Captagon is classified by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as an "amphetamine type stimulant" and usually blends amphetamine, caffeine and other substances.