In the past few years, various countries in the Middle East witnessed a spike in the supply of narcotics. Over 2020-22 alone, a whopping one billion pills of the amphetamine-based drug captagon have been seized. A research project led by the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks has compiled critical data offering insights into the narcotics crisis in the Middle East and the role of the Assad regime in Syria and, to a lesser extent, Lebanon, for its perpetuation.

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The project documents the types, quantities, countries of origin, and points of interdiction of narcotics seizures in or related to the Middle East from 2016 to 2022, as well as the key persons and entities involved in producing, smuggling, and facilitating the narcotics trade in Syria.

At this hybrid event, researchers and experts presented and discussed the findings of this study and the dynamics of narcotics supply in the region, the networks sustaining them, and the steps necessary to address the ensuing crisis.