اخبار سوريا اليوم – وطن نيوز
سوريا اليوم – اخبار سوريا عاجل
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2022-04-07 05:35:00
“Zaman Al-Wasl” reveals secrets about manufacturing, packaging, and the role of Assad’s men in smuggling and promotion. The Syrian “Sobhi – 22 years old” confirms that hashish and narcotic pills are “on hand if you pay.” He is not in denial, through an intermediary, with whom “Zaman Al-Wasl” communicated that he took narcotic “Al-Adasa” pills, as they are cheaper than “Umm Hilalain”, and the spread of drugs among young people and universities “to escape the situation.” Subhi, who refused to communicate directly, confirmed that kiosks in Damascus sell Hashish and Captagon, explaining that the main source arrives from Daraa, “which has laboratories,” or from Lebanon, and is distributed in Damascus and Suwayda. He revealed that the “Jaramana” area in the southern Damascus countryside “is the center,” where a kilogram of hashish (kabsha) is sold for about 625,000 liras, and a “love corset,” meaning 200 Captagon pills, for about 300,000 liras, contenting himself with the fact that “large heads” transport and sell the drugs to distributors.* Drugs An alternative to exports. The Syrian researcher, Muhammad Haj Bakri, reveals that the Syrian regime’s resources, in recent years, depend mainly on the revenues of the drug trade “which he personally supervises,” most notably the narcotic pills “Captagon” and “Crystal.” He revealed during an interview with “Zaman Al-Wasl” that the “drug campaign” has taken an organizational form, after “regular” exports declined to less than 600 million euros, while imports exceed $4 billion, which has pushed the Assad regime since a year 2015, to request pharmaceutical companies licensed in Syria to increase imports of “phenethylline,” a stimulant substance and the scientific name for Captagon, so that the drug trade would flourish, or be revealed to the public in 2019, when the smuggling of tons of Captagon pills found in Greece was thwarted, followed by drug shipments to the Emirates, so that the Assad regime has since been under the spotlight. But 2020 was the year with the most production and smuggling, according to “Haj Bakri,” who comes from Latakia Governorate, “the birthplace of Bashar al-Assad,” when quantities of “Captagon” smuggled in milk containers manufactured by the “Milkman” company belonging to al-Assad’s cousin, Rami Makhlouf, were found in the Egyptian port of Port Said. The major scandal came, according to the spokesman’s description, when Italy confiscated the largest shipment of the drug Captagon in the world (14 tons, valued at one billion euros) in the port of Salerno, south of the city of Naples.* Facilities Manufacturing: The Syrian researcher confirms that Bashar al-Assad’s regime personally supervises the drug industry and trade, through four parties: “the palace, Maher al-Assad’s Fourth Division, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and Hezbollah,” noting that there are “dozens of facilities” for drug manufacturing in Syria, but the most important and largest of them is in the “Al-Bassa” area in the Latakia countryside, western Syria, supervised by “Samer al-Assad,” the cousin of the regime’s president. The “Medico” factory in Homs Governorate, which Iran supervises, is the second largest facility. After that, the “Solidarity” factory of the “Fourth Division” and several factories in the “Al-Qusayr” area, southwest of Homs, belong to Hezbollah. He adds, “We have information that some factories in the industrial city of Hasiya produce drug pills for the regime and are affiliated with businessmen from the city of Homs.” Regarding the companies and businessmen that “package and assist” in drug smuggling, researcher “Haj Bakri” reveals that the “Milkman” company was the first, before the expulsion of “Rami Makhlouf,” but there are food companies “Matah, Pickles, export of vegetables and fruits, paper mills and even marble,” including the “Kabbour” company, revealing that Samer and Ayham al-Assad, “the sons of Kamal al-Assad, Bashar’s uncle,” are the most important supervisors of manufacturing and smuggling, as well as “Ibn Talal al-Assad” and “Abdul Latif Hamid,” the owner of the paper mill in Aleppo, and businessmen such as “Amer Khaiti” (pictured) and “Khader Taher,” and these names are known in Latakia,” according to the source, in addition to partners in Lebanon and Iran, perhaps the most important of them, “Noah Zuaiter, Muqtada Al-Hussein, Hassan Muhammad Daqo, and Ayser Schmidtli.” “Hussein” believes during his statement to “Zaman Al-Wasl” that major smuggling operations take place by sea from the port of Latakia, but this does not reduce the quantities and revenues of land smuggling, through Jordan, to the Gulf states in particular, whether from or through Syria, for shipments coming from Lebanon, especially through food supplies. The Syrian analyst points out that the numbers issued by the “press and centers” are estimates, reiterating the difficulty of measuring quantities, prices and revenues, “but drugs are the most important revenues of the regime.” Industrial and agricultural production declined, and Syria turned into a country importing oil, wheat, and animal production, according to the economist “Hussein.” The Center for Operations Analysis and Research (COAR) estimated in a 2020 study the value of Captagon exports from Syria at about $3.46 billion, explaining that Syria has become a global center for the production of the narcotic “Captagon,” and that it has become more industrialized and technologically advanced in drug manufacturing than ever before. The New York newspaper noted The American Times, during an investigation last year, indicated that the “Fourth Division” of Assad’s army, led by his brother, Maher al-Assad, is responsible for manufacturing and exporting “Captagon,” in addition to leading the trade in it by businessmen with close ties to the regime, the Hezbollah group, and other members of the Assad family. He is a member of the International Criminal Police (Interpol). Academic Imad al-Din al-Musabeh says that by opening the crossings with Jordan, the Assad regime found an additional way to smuggle drugs into the Arabian Gulf, “even though smuggling had not stopped.” He pointed out during a statement to Zaman al-Wasl that “Assad’s gains” go beyond the economy as a result of drug smuggling, as it amounts to threatening to flood the markets to impose the Syrian vision of a solution or blackmail to return to talking about reconstruction. The issue has returned. Syrian drug smuggling is on the table of the US Congress, as part of the administration’s efforts to combat this problem, after Representatives French Hill, Republican of Arkansas, and Brendan Boyle, Democrat of Pennsylvania, submitted a new project to the House of Representatives of Congress, requesting the US administration to develop a joint strategy between federal agencies, to disrupt and dismantle drug production and trafficking in Syria, and affiliated networks linked to the regime there, after the majority in the House of Representatives voted on a law in this regard. American law stresses the necessity of stopping this trafficking, And the source of illicit financing, and that if America fails to do so, it will leave the regime in Syria continuing to push the conflict, providing a lifeline to extremist groups, and allowing American enemies to enhance their participation there. The American law hinted that thwarting the drug industry and trade in Syria would be part of the “political settlement of the crisis,” which is what Syrians warn against, and consider Assad’s possession of a “drug weapon” a factor to float it within the political solutions deal. Al-Musbah points out that Syria “since the days of Assad Sr.” has been a drug corridor. The Lebanese and Afghan countries via Iran, but during the time of Bashar al-Assad, it turned into a country that manufactured drugs on a global level, to secure some resources to pay the salaries and wages of the government sector and to import some goods and products, “and I think the largest part goes back to the assets of the Assad family abroad.” It is not unlikely that the cessation of this industry and trade, by the Assad regime, will be included in the basket or settlement deal, after the activity of this trade and “the concerns of neighboring countries,” especially Jordan and the Arabian Gulf. Al-Musbah, who is from Daraa, points out that narcotic pills production factories have spread. Even in Daraa Governorate and the cities of northeastern Syria and the strip parallel to Lebanon, even if the largest facilities are the cities of Latakia and Damascus, estimating the proceeds of the drug trade at billions of dollars and that it “covered the regime’s nakedness” after the decline in the public resources of the state treasury. While Iraq, Egypt and even Turkey were not spared, which announced last May the seizure of “the largest drug shipment in the history of the Turkish Republic” after a security operation by anti-drug teams in the port of Iskenderun in the southwestern province of Hatay. Turkey. At the time, the Turkish Minister of Trade, Mehmet Moş, announced the seizure of 1,072.6 tons, equivalent to (72 tons and 72 kilograms), of “Captagon” narcotic pills in the port of Iskenderun, indicating that the drugs were seized on board a ship carrying 17 cargo containers, which docked in the port of Iskenderun some time ago and were preparing to complete their way to the UAE, and that the drug pills were distributed in 11 containers, and the value amounted to The market value of drugs is about 37 million, 261 thousand and 905 US dollars. However, Jordan, especially after opening the borders and crossings, is at the forefront of countries where Syrian drugs are transited by land and abroad, which reaches the borders of criminality and the determination to smuggle by force of peace, as the Jordanian army recently announced that it had killed 27 “drug smugglers” while trying to infiltrate from Syria, after the Jordanian authorities announced a significant increase in attempts to smuggle drugs from Syria in recent months. The army statement indicates On January 12, 2021, the Jordanian Bank announced that it had thwarted 361 infiltration and smuggling attempts from Syria to Jordan, and seized nearly 15.5 million drug pills of various types, including Captagon and Tramadol, and more than 16,000 hashish leaves weighing approximately 760 kilograms, in addition to 2 kilograms of heroin. Using drugs and the reality of the spread of drugs and the ease of obtaining them in Syria. Social researcher Bayan Darwish says that “there is no accurate percentage of addicts, but Syria has become a drug state.” She warned during an interview with “Zaman Al-Wasl” about the spread of drugs among young people and university and school students, males and females. “Through living and following up and according to lawsuits, I can say that the spread of drugs among young people is more than 50%.” She considered that the decline in income and job opportunities is accompanied by frustration among young people and with government neglect, Drug abuse has increased and the reality has reached “very dangerous.” While the Syrian researcher points out that the areas of southern Syria (Damascus, Daraa and Suwayda) are among the areas most widespread with drugs, the areas controlled by the opposition are not excluded from the spread of “this disease,” as the Idlib governorate has become a specialized center for combating addiction, after the outbreak of hashish and Captagon pills. Regarding the effects of the spread of drugs, the researcher “Darwish” shows that the damage is not limited to the individual, “and is catastrophic,” but extends. Society, its cohesion, and its moral fence. Drugs increase crime and violence, and contribute to further impoverishment as a result of the exploitation of drug users by dealers and smugglers. Their effects do not stop at infectious diseases, but rather lead to societal devastation, especially in a situation like the Syrian one, the increase in the supply of drugs and the resort of many people to escape from the reality of life and professionalism and even non-existent prospects for a solution. For example, the Syrian specialist adds, “Last year, Syria ranked first in the Arab world in its crime rate and ninth in the world, according to the Numbeo website. Crime Index, which specializes in crime indicators in the world, and drugs are the top crimes, followed by theft, forgery, and murder, and you can imagine what reality and what future for Syria.” According to official statistics issued by the head of the Narcotics Control Committee, Assad’s Interior Minister Muhammad al-Shaar, during the last part of last year, there were 4,663 drug cases in which the number of defendants reached 6,370 defendants, while 1,189 kg of narcotic hashish, 91 kg of heroin, and 740 kg of cannabis were seized. And 18 million Captagon pills, 501 thousand other narcotic pills of various types, 737 kg of cannabis flowers, and 26.7 kg of methamphetamine. Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations office and other international organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Dr. Hassan Khaddour, announced the seizure of about 50 million Captagon pills and thousands of kilograms of narcotic hashish during the years 2020-2021. Ambassador Khaddour called in A statement he delivered during the launch session of the annual report of the International Narcotics Control Board for the year 2021, which was held in Vienna. The International Narcotics Control Board called for addressing issues related to the global drug problem in a professional and neutral manner and the need to verify the data available to the Board in this regard well, document them and examine them with the concerned member states, calling on the preparers of the reports to provide more clarifications, evidence and data to verify the information contained in their reports in a way that can help those concerned in Syria with their efforts to confront this challenge.
