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Watch Wa'el's interview with CNN about the latest developments in Syria
Watch Wa'el's interview with MSNBC about the latest developments in Syria
Watch Qutaiba's interview with ABC Australia on the opposition's advancement towards Damascus
Watch Qutaiba's interview with Iran International on Iran’s role in supporting Assad and why they’re absent today
Watch Qutaiba's interview with AlJazeera English’s The Take on the latest in NW Syria
ACS Media Kit_12.11.24 (pdf)
DownloadThe Captagon Act
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of the American Coalition for Syria and like-minded Syrian American organizations, the Captagon Act passed by majority vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Captagon Act was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2022. This legislation will require the US to establish an interagency strategy to disrupt and dismantle narcotics production, trafficking, and affiliated networks linked to the Assad regime in Syria.
The Captagon Act (H.R.6265/S. 3392) was first introduced to the US House of Representatives by Representative French Hill (R-AR) on 12/14/2021. After going through the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), the Captagon Act was finally added to the 2023 NDAA in September 2022. Advocating for the Captagon Act involved our DC policy team's active engagement on the Hill, in-district meetings with congressmen and congresswomen to urge support, and a dedicated grassroots and communications campaign to raise awareness.
Our policy and advocacy teams will continue to work with experts and our grassroots and grasstops supporters to see the Captagon Act implemented and an effective strategy formulated to stop Assad’s drug trade.
Assad’s Drug Trade
Assad has transformed Syria into a narco-state where drug traffickers produce and distribute massive amounts of the illicit drug Captagon, a highly addictive drug in the amphetamine family. It is currently the most in-demand narcotic in the Middle East and neighboring Mediterranean countries, with more than 40 tons of pills (36,453 Kg or 231,023,826 pills) seized this year only.* The size of these seizures, valued in billions of dollars, is indicative of the scale of the traffic.
*Numbers are accurate as of October 25, 2022
The Captagon drug trade netted the regime an estimated $5.7 billion in revenues in 2021, thus allowing Assad to overcome sanctions meant to deny him access to hard currency. In fact, the Assad regime makes more money off of the export of Captagon than all other legal exports combined. The illicit drug business has also caused significant problems for neighboring countries and has reached Europe, Asia, and Africa. These problems range from public health issues related to addiction and adverse effects to economic and security concerns.
Assad’s drug trade has become a serious regional security issue. Not only has the regime been systematically pushing Captagon to fund the murder of Syrian civilians, but also to gain and maintain power in the region. Most of the drug production and distribution in Syria is overseen by the Fourth Armored Division of the Syrian Army, an elite unit commanded by Maher al-Assad, the brother of President Bashar al-Assad and the second most powerful individual in the country. The regime’s drug trade directly links Assad’s relatives, senior businessmen, and Hezbollah (i.e., the top of the Syrian power structure) in elaborate narcotics trafficking networks. Therefore, this regime's lifeline must be disrupted and dismantled.
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