Hezbollah, operating as Iran’s proxy army in Lebanon, has for decades financed its activities with the drug trade in addition to Iranian aid. For a couple of decades now, Hezbollah has controlled the Bekaa Valley and engaged in successful cannabis and opium production. In recent years, the organization has focused especially on the production, smuggling, distribution and money laundering of the income derived from the amphetamine-like synthetic stimulant known by the market name Captagon. Last year, Captagon’s market area began to expand from the Middle East to Europe, and Hezbollah and Syria are trying to seek additional growth in the United States as well. Few years ago the Italian police seized in the port of Salerno, around 84 million counterfeit Captagon pills found in containers, with an estimated value of one billion euros, suspected to have been made in Syria to finance the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS). Captagon is a strong reason to classify Lebanon and especially Syria as drug states.
The Captagon deal is estimated to be at least a $10 billion industry in the Middle East. Syria is responsible for 80 percent of the world’s shipments, which means that the trade is worth at least three times the country’s entire government budget. The business value of Captagon, which is held by Hezbollah in Lebanon, is over one billion USD, while Iran’s annual aid to the organization is about $700 million.
There are numerous reports detailing links between elements of the Syrian military and Hezbollah’s protection of drug traffickers. This trade is primarily aimed at the Persian Gulf countries, but it also extends to Europe. Hezbollah should be designated not only as a terrorist organization but also as an organized criminal group.
The main purpose of producing, smuggling and selling Captagon is to enrich the coffers of terrorist organizations and the state of Syria and Iran, but to a lesser extent it is used by the organizations themselves. It is known that in the 7/10 terrorist attack, many Hamas fighters obtained additional energy from Captagon, and Hezbollah’s tunnel builders can use it to increase their work efficiency
Captagon’s factories are located in Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley. Some of the areas in this area of Lebanon have been declared closed military zones, off limits to official Lebanese authorities or others not affiliated with Hizbullah. The Lebanese militia badly needs the money from this deal, as its main financier, Iran, has been severely affected by Western economic sanctions.
Fake oranges filled with Captagon pills and dissimulated in boxes containing real fruit Credit: ANWAR AMRO/AFP
The manufacture of Captagon in Lebanon has not stopped. On the contrary, it seems to have gone from hundreds of thousands of capsules per day to millions. Captagon’s business in Lebanon is estimated to be over $1 billion
Hezbollah’s drug trade, especially the production of Captagon in southern Lebanon, is a significant challenge to Israel’s security and regional stability. Despite Islamic laws against drug trafficking, Hezbollah justifies the sale by targeting the Sunni-majority Gulf states, which are seen as enemies of the Shia Islam represented by the terrorist organization.
Hezbollah fighters reportedly earn about $1,500 a month, while Lebanese soldiers earn just $300. This contrast highlights Hezbollah’s strong presence in the country, as it shows the gap between the terrorist organization’s funding and Lebanon’s poorly funded military. Cutting off Hezbollah’s drug revenue could weaken its hold on the Shia community and undermine its ability to recruit new troops.
Over the past decade, the smuggling and production of Captagon in the Middle East has increased significantly, according to a report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in March this year. Captagon production has become a major illegal industry, according to the UNODC report, with the largest drug seizures occurring in Saudi Arabia, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. According to the UNODC, the Syrian civil war has allowed Captogan production to grow, and smuggling networks involve a number of armed groups, terrorist groups and corrupt government officials.
Pressure from the international community, especially the United States, may push Israel toward a ceasefire in Lebanon, but stopping Hezbollah once and for all requires cutting off its sources of money, especially drugs. International support is also needed to sanction Lebanese banks that help Hezbollah launder drug money, many Lebanese banks play a significant role in financing Hezbollah’s activities with little consequence.
Israel’s Northern Arrows offensive against the Lebanese terrorist organization, which included targeted strikes and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure, had reportedly undermined the production of the drug in the country and its smuggling to other Gulf states.
As a source, for example: Jerusalem Post , UNODC , Arab News
This article first appeared in Finnish webpublication : Ariel-Israelista suomeksi
