Rep. Moskowitz said, “Captagon did not disappear with the Assad regime. It adapted and spread. As drug production and trafficking shift across the Middle East, Congress must update its strategy to meet the reality on the ground. I am proud to co-lead the Countering Captagon and Narcotics Act to track evolving narcotics networks, strengthen cooperation with our partners, and disrupt criminal organizations tied to Hezbollah and Iran-backed proxies.”
Quotes in support of the Countering Captagon and Narcotics Post-Assad Act
“The American Task Force on Lebanon is proud to support the Countering Captagon and Narcotics Act. It is crucial that the U.S. continue to support efforts to dismantle and disrupt Captagon trafficking in the Middle East. Soldiers from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have lost their lives in this mission, and the LAF has proven an excellent and capable strategic U.S. partner in this critical effort. We commend Rep. French Hill for his leadership on this issue.”
– Amb. (ret.) Ed Gabriel, President and CEO of the American Task Force on Lebanon
“While the Assad has fallen in Syria, the Captagon trade—a multi-billion dollar industry Assad’s regime built in its last five years in power—is far from over in the region. The departure of the regime has lifted the ‘anchor’ on industrial-scale production in Syria, inducing a spillover effect both within and outside Syria and amongst new, malign non-state actors in Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, and other countries. The potential shortage in Captagon has also encouraged criminal actors to engage in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine, a much more harmful and challenging drug for both public health and law enforcement in the region. While the new Syrian government and its regional partners have made serious strides in disrupting drug operations in the country, its stability remains undermined by regime remnants and new criminal actors that are using Captagon and methamphetamine operations as alternative revenue streams that can help fund malign activities that undermine U.S. interests in the region.
“This legislation enables the U.S. to play a proactive part in addressing these threats, updating an existing mechanism created by the CAPTAGON ACT (2021-2022) to help monitor and disrupt these evolving networks.”
– Caroline Rose, Director of the Captagon and Methamphetamines Projects, the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy
“Captagon and methamphetamine trafficking are critical security threats to U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East, and their trade continues fuel regional instability. The Countering Captagon and Narcotics Post-Assad Act includes timely and necessary updates that will enhance U.S. interagency coordination and better focus attention on the evolving nature of these drug networks. FDD Action strongly supports this bipartisan effort to disrupt narcotics production, trafficking, and financing across Syria and the wider region.”
– Matt Zweig, Managing Director for Policy at FDD Action
Supportive Organizations
- Citizens for a Safe and Secure America (C4SSA)
- FDD Action
- New Lines Institute
- Multifaith Alliance
- Syrian American Council
- American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL)
- Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF)
Further Background
Captagon is an illicit narcotic that is a stimulant. It has been used by young people and combatants. In post-Assad Syria, Captagon production has shifted to small-scale operations, particularly in the south, following the Assad regime’s crackdown. This suppression has pushed Captagon production and trafficking into neighboring countries. Crystal meth (i.e., methamphetamine) use is also growing in the region.
To combat Captagon and other narcotics in the region, Rep. Hill and Rep. Moskowitz want to update the CAPTAGON Act by introducing the Countering Captagon and Narcotics Act.
The bill specifically asks the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with State, Treasury, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and others as needed, to submit a report to Congress on Captagon, methamphetamine, and other amphetamine-type stimulant production and trafficking.
Rep. Hill’s Previous Captagon-related Laws
H.R. 6265 – Countering Assad’s Proliferation Trafficking And Garnering Of Narcotics (CAPTAGON) Act: This law required the U.S. government to develop an interagency strategy to disrupt and dismantle narcotics production and trafficking and affiliated networks linked to the Assad regime in Syria.
- This bill was passed in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and was signed into law in December 2022.
H.R. 4681 – Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act: This law imposed sanctions on Captagon traffickers. In Syria, Captagon was linked to and funded by the Assad regime. This bill was signed into law on April 24, 2024.