U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) seeks answers around why a U.S. State Department-mandated report fails to address the role of the regime under Syria President Bashar al-Assad in narco-trafficking of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine.
“We were disappointed that the recent State Department report, mandated under Section 6507 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (P.L. 117-81) on the estimated net worth and sources of income of Syrian President Bashar Assad, failed to account for the significant role of the Assad regime in Captagon trafficking in the Middle East,” wrote Rep. McCaul and U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) in a July 22 letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Captagon trade is a growing problem that has various negative impacts throughout the Middle East, according to the lawmakers’ letter, which noted that recent open-source reports put the drug’s possible 2021 trafficking value at $6 billion — a potentially significant source of illicit income for the Assad regime.
“In addition to fueling Assad’s ongoing crimes against the Syrian people, Captagon trafficking threatens regional stability,” Rep. McCaul and his colleague wrote, adding that the trafficking also stifles economic growth in affected countries. “In some cases, traffickers hiding drugs in commercial and agricultural products has resulted in import bans that hinder legitimate trade as many countries in the region grapple with severe economic crises.”
The lawmakers pointed out that understanding the Assad regime’s role in the Captagon trade is important to U.S. national security and America’s allies precisely because it has the potential to serve as a largely unchecked source of revenue for the Assad regime, their letter states.
“Moreover, as many of our partners take ill-advised steps to normalize relations with the Assad regime, it is imperative that the United States and others shed light on the regime’s role in the destabilizing Captagon trade, which threatens many of those same partners’ security,” wrote Rep. McCaul and Sen. Risch.
In their letter, the lawmakers requested that Blinken provide more details on the estimated net worth and known sources of income of Assad and his family members, as well as the estimated income that the Captagon trade provides the Syrian regime and the regime’s role in the Captagon trade.