Peregraf
The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on August 19 that security cooperation between Iraq and Lebanon led to the dismantling of one of the largest Captagon factories in the Middle East.
The operation was carried out in Lebanon’s Bekaa region in mid-July 2025, based on intelligence provided by Iraq. The Lebanese Army seized the factory and thwarted massive quantities of narcotics prepared for manufacturing and promotion.
Lebanon’s General Directorate of State Security confirmed the successful joint effort, praising Iraq’s leading role in combating cross-border drug threats. Officials described the bust as the strongest blow yet against Captagon networks in the region.
Captagon, a powerful amphetamine, has long plagued the Middle East. In Iraq, both consumption and smuggling cases have risen sharply in recent years, alarming authorities and regional partners.
Syria, under former dictator Bashar al-Assad, was a primary source of Captagon. Analysts have long accused Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother, of playing a key role in the trade, which became a political and economic tool for the regime.
Factories also flourished along the Lebanese-Syrian border, particularly in Bekaa. The region’s rugged terrain, clan networks, and weak state control made it a hub for smuggling drugs, fuel, weapons, and people.
On May 29, 2025, Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Rebar Ahmad warned that drug use had increased dramatically, calling the crisis a challenge no less dangerous than terrorism.
Ahmad revealed that large quantities of drugs enter Iraq from Iran and Syria, turning the country into a major trafficking corridor. He warned that the growing trade is particularly harmful to youth and adolescents.
The minister cited UNODC and WHO data, noting that 275 million people worldwide use drugs, and about 500,000 die each year from drug-related causes. He stressed the crisis threatens both public health and security.
Ahmad attributed Iraq’s worsening drug problem to political, economic, and military instability, which has enabled networks to expand. He said the Kurdistan Regional Government is implementing a joint strategy with Baghdad and international partners.
The KRG’s plan includes border monitoring, joint operations to target traffickers, and tighter supervision of cafeterias, pharmacies, transport companies, and public venues to curb supply and consumption.
The crisis is most severe in Duhok. Drug-related cases surged from 50 a decade ago to over 1,000 in 2023—a 1,900% increase, Peregraf investigations found.
Data shows seizures of illicit substances jumped from 398 kilograms in 2023 to more than 3,000 kilograms in the first 11 months of 2024, underlining the scale of the problem.
For more on the drug crisis and its impact across Kurdistan, see Peregraf’s earlier in-depth reporting.