The Iraqi captagon and synthetic drug crisis
Alfredo Bosco
Winner of the 2025 Ville de Perpignan Rémi Ochlik Visa d'or Award
Iraq is experiencing a notable surge in drug trafficking. Sales and distribution have increased in its poorer urban neighborhoods and in its southern territories. This has prompted the Iraqi authorities to implement stringent measures to prevent the spread of drug use. The two main drugs involved are “captagon” (fenethylline) and “crystal meth” (methamphetamine). Captagon is produced in Syria, and, according to the Iraqi authorities, crystal meth is produced in laboratories in Iran.
The civil war that began in 2011 has devastated and impoverished Syria. The country has rapidly transformed into a narco-state, generating billions of dollars from captagon production and trafficking. For example, in 2021, the captagon trade was estimated to be worth $5.7 billion (New Lines Institute report). When Syria was readmitted to the Arab League in May 2023, the al-Assad government pledged to reduce drug trafficking and the amount of drugs entering Jordan. However, this strategy only resulted in the drugs being redirected to the Rojava territories. These territories have been continuously targeted and destabilized by the Turkish army and therefore struggle to control trafficking along the Syrian-Iraqi border. The same thing is taking place in the Kurdish territories of Iraq. An increase in captagon-related arrests in 2023 suggests that traffickers are increasingly using the country as a transshipment route.
Preview
The Iraqi government has acknowledged the country’s struggle with crystal meth addiction. In 2024, 14,000 drug suspects were arrested throughout the country. Seizures of crystal meth increased almost sixfold between 2019 and 2023, while seizures of captagon reportedly tripled between 2022 and 2023. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, seizures of all types of drugs were 34 times higher in 2023 than in 2019. The Iraqi government and its partners have stressed the need for a collective response to tackle the social and economic ramifications of drug trafficking in the Near and Middle East regions.
At the inaugural Baghdad International Conference on Drug Control in May 2023, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shayya al-Sudani, pledged to wage a "war on drugs," equating the fight against drugs to the fight against terrorism. With the support of private foundations and the government, new rehab centers were opened. The leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, contributed to this effort by opening a facility in Sadr City: Al-Ataa Rehabilitation Center. According to Enas Kareem, a former teacher in charge of a charity dedicated to helping drug addicts, one of the main reasons why people turn to synthetic drugs is the widespread depression caused by the country’s economic and social situation. Most addicts later find themselves in need of pharmacological and psychological support. However, previous Iraqi governments did not address drug trafficking, so support of this kind is not yet available.
Alfredo Bosco
With support from Le Figaro Magazine.
