The culprit was caught attempting to receive tens of thousands of Captagon pills to smuggle to the Gulf countries.
Qatar and Kuwait’s drug enforcement authorities have successfully thwarted a drug smuggling operation involving around 75,000 Captagon pills.
The shipment, concealed inside a spare car part, was en route to Kuwait via air.
Acting on intelligence from informants, officials were alerted to a criminal network smuggling large quantities of the drug from Europe to the Gulf country.
Upon the shipment’s arrival in Kuwait, the General Administration of Customs’ Search and Investigation Department arrested the culprit.
The culprit, a Syrian national, confessed that a relative living in Europe had instructed him to receive and smuggle the drug shipment in exchange for a payment.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior thanked Qatar’s Ministry of Interior’s General Drug Administration their vital role in the operation, highlighting “the deep security cooperation between both countries to combat smuggling the narcotics substances”.
It emphasised that this collaboration reflects the strategic partnership between Gulf security services in protecting societies from the threat of this dangerous scourge.
What is Captagon?
Captagon is the street name for the drug fenethylline. It was first synthesised in Germany in the 1960s as a treatment for narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder. The addictive stimulant is a combination of amphetamine and theophylline.
In the 1980s, it was considered no longer fit for medical use, and became illegal. During the regime of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, which ended in December 2024, Captagon production surged, becoming a key source of funding for the ousted leadership.
The drug was heavily smuggled into the Gulf, where it gained popularity as a recreational party drug among affluent Middle Eastern youth.
The effects of Captagon consumption include increased alertness, energy, and euphoria, but also dangerous side effects such as anxiety, agitation, increased heart rate, and addiction.
