Iraqi authorities successfully confiscated more than a metric ton of Captagon tablets, marking a significant blow to regional drug trafficking networks. The Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that approximately seven million pills—weighing 1.1 tonnes—were seized from a truck entering the country via Turkey.
The operation, led by the ministry’s anti-narcotics unit, resulted in the arrest of several individuals believed to be behind the smuggling attempt. While spokesman General Moqdad Miri confirmed the arrests, he declined to provide a specific figure.
The break in the case came after intelligence was shared by Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control. According to an official statement from Saudi Interior Security spokesman Colonel Talal bin Abdul Mohsen bin Shalhoub, the pills were cleverly concealed within shipments of children’s toys and ironing boards.
Video evidence released by Iraqi authorities showed the drugs being transferred from a Turkish truck to an Iraqi vehicle near a border checkpoint.
This interception is the latest in a string of high-profile Captagon seizures across the Middle East. Just last week, Syrian anti-narcotics forces recovered 100,000 tablets at the Jordanian frontier, while Saudi customs officials intercepted nearly 1.4 million pills hidden in air conditioner units a day earlier.
Originally developed in the 1960s as a pharmaceutical treatment, Captagon—a brand name for fenethylline—was banned in most nations by 1986. However, counterfeit versions have gained widespread popularity as a recreational stimulant, particularly in Gulf states and among factions during Syria’s prolonged conflict. Today, these illicit pills often contain substitutes like caffeine or common medications.
Despite the recent toppling of Bashar Al Assad’s regime, the Captagon trade—once a cornerstone of Syria’s wartime economy—continues unabated. Following Assad’s removal, evidence emerged of large-scale manufacturing and stockpiling, including the discovery of production equipment and pills in former military facilities. In a swift move last month, Syrian security forces destroyed nearly 100 million Captagon pills, along with raw materials and 15 tonnes of hashish.