EU Sanctions Relatives of Syria’s al-Assad Over Alleged Drugs Trafficking

Facts

• The EU has imposed sanctions on relatives of Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad over their alleged involvement in the illicit production and trafficking of drugs, specifically Captagon, a synthetic amphetamine that has commonly been found in the Middle East in recent years.¹
• Three members of the Assad family were sanctioned; Wasim Badia al-Assad, Samer Kamal, and Mudar Rifaat al-Assad. Additional people and entities with alleged ties to the government or pro-government militias were also sanctioned, among others.²
• The EU claimed that the illicit Captagon trade "has become a regime-led business model, enriching the inner circle of the regime and providing it with revenue that contributes to its ability to maintain its policies of repression against the civilian population."³
• The Syrian government has continually denied any links to Captagon production or trafficking, saying instead that it has systematically cracked down on drug smugglers.⁴
• Sanctions were also placed on the Russian engineering company Stroytransgaz — the controller of Syria’s largest phosphate mines — which is accused of benefiting from and supporting the Syrian government. Russia, along with Iran, has supported the administration in the country's civil war.⁵
• Syria's civil war began in 2011 following mass anti-government protests. The conflict has killed more than half a million people, and the country's infrastructure and economy are in shambles. The country has been under sanction for years, with a total of 322 individuals now being subject to sanctions from the EU.⁴

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²EU Sanctions, ³France 24, ⁴Al Jazeera, and ⁵AL.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. These sanctions are another positive step in the isolation of the Syrian government, as it presides over one of the largest illicit drug empires in the world. Following a war in which the Assad regime killed Syrians with barrel bombs, starvation sieges, and chemical weapons, Damascus is now exporting misery via the Captagon trade. The international community must continue striving for justice in Syria.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. These sanctions against Syria are just another element of the West's dirty war against the country. Indeed, there is no evidence connecting the government to the Captagon trade. After spending the last decade supporting Jihadist terrorists who ultimately failed in overthrowing Syria's legitimate government, the West has sought to starve Syria and are using sanctions to prevent it from rebuilding. The West's imperial campaign against Syria continues unabated.