Captagon is an amphetamine drug which was once prescribed for the treatment of narcolepsy and attention disorder. However, the once–legal drug has now turned into one of the major exports of Syria and according to AFP, the narcotics industry in the war-torn country is currently worth more than $10 billion. In the past decade, the nerve stimulant became quite popular among the Islamic State (IS) fighters and with the government possibly involved in its trade, Captagon is drug of choice for Syria. 

 The drug, which has earned the nickname “Abu al-hilalain” (two crescent moons) due to its trademark logo, is available for a few dollars in the market. While the premium products can command a price in excess of $25, the normal quality tablets can be found easily for anything between $5 and $10. 

Syria has been the center of a major civil war for the past decade and with labour-intensive jobs dominating the market, the demand for the pill has also gone up. Most users of Captagon told AFP that they used to battle exhaustion and to increase their stamina in order to work for more hours in a day.

When it comes to the distribution of Captagon, the fingers are mainly pointed towards the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad. Sources once close to the government said that Assad’s brother Maher as well as the Iran-backed Hezbollah group play major roles in carrying out the trade. 

Similar accusations were also levelled by the British Army-linked CHACR think tank and the independent Center for Operations Analysis and Research (COAR). However, with nearly all parties enjoying the profits from the drug trade, it has grown exponentially in the past decade in Syria.