Iraq and Lebanon Cooperate to Dismantle Major Captagon Factory

Beirut, Aug 19 (AP) In a significant breakthrough showcasing rare collaboration, intelligence agencies from Iraq and Lebanon have successfully uncovered and dismantled one of Lebanon's major factories producing Captagon, an addictive amphetamine. This was confirmed by Iraq's Interior Ministry.

The announcement made on Monday night follows a statement from the Lebanese army last month, which revealed the discovery of a substantial drug factory in Yammoune village, located in the eastern Bekaa Valley. The factory housed a considerable quantity of drugs.

According to Iraq's Interior Ministry, the Lebanese operation carried out in Yammoune in mid-July was based on intelligence provided by Iraqi authorities.

A high-ranking Lebanese security official expressed uncertainty about the timing of the Iraqi announcement on Monday. Still, he emphasized the ongoing communication between Lebanon's security forces and both Arab and international security bodies. He chose to remain anonymous, adhering to agency protocols.

Efforts to combat the drug trade are being intensified across the region.

Although most of the world’s Captagon originates from neighboring Syria, Lebanon is also a known production site. Estimates by Western governments claim Captagon has generated billions for former Syrian President Bashar Assad and his network. These allegations have been denied by the previous regime in Damascus.

Following the ousting of Assad in December, after Islamist fighters took control of Damascus, the focus on disrupting drug production has increased significantly in both Lebanon and Syria.

February saw the interior ministers of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq convening in Amman, Jordan's capital, to strategize against illegal drug trafficking. They reached an agreement to establish a joint telecommunications unit dedicated to information sharing. Jordan has been frequently exploited as a transit point to smuggle Captagon pills from Syria to the affluent Arab Gulf states. (AP) RD RD

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