Syrian conflict which left over 100,000 people dead and displaced around two million is reportedly being fuelled by the export and consumption of rapidly increasing quantities of illegal drugs, reported by foreign media on Thursday.
According to investigations conducted by the Reuters and Time magazine, growing trade in Syrian-made Captagon – an amphetamine widely consumed in the Middle East has generated revenues of millions of dollars inside the country last year, is being used to buy weapons and the keep the civil-war in country going.
British newspaper Guardian while quoting UN Office on Drugs and Crime, reported that Syria has long been a transit point for drugs coming from Europe, Turkey and Lebanon and destined for the wealthy Gulf states. However, according to the investigation conducted by Reuters, Syria has been turned into a major producer following the collapse of the country’s infrastructure and proliferation of armed groups.
According to reports, production in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley – a traditional centre for the drug – fell 90% last year from 2011, with the decline largely attributed to production inside Syria.
Captagon was first produced in the 1960s to treat hyperactivity, narcolepsy and depression, but was banned in most countries by the 1980s as too addictive.
However, it remains hugely popular in the Middle East.
However Guardian reported that none of the investigations conducted by two major media organizations found conclusive evidence that the warring sides were using profits from the drug directly to buy weapons.