Captagon

News:

Captagon trade has taken centre stage in talks again, as Arab League reinstates Syria as a member.

What:

• It is an amphetamine-type drug.

Significance:

• It is highly addictive.

How:

• The drug stimulates the CNS (central nervous system), leading to:
  • Energy boost
  • Enhanced focus
  • Prolonged wakefulness
  • Sense of euphoria
• This drug stays in the blood for some 36 hours.
• When taken orally, the effects peak in 1-3 hours and last for 7-12 hours.
• It can cause side-effects:
  • Skin flushing
  • High body temperature
  • Loss of appetite
  • Loss of weight
  • Problems in thinking clearly
  • Memory loss
  • Heart problems
  • Stroke
  • Even death

Who:

• Historically used by the Allied forces and Nazi Germany troops during the WWII.
• According to reports, the US military still uses this drug.

Where:

• Current version emerged in Bulgaria.
  • Smuggled to the Arabian Peninsula by the Balkan and Turkish criminal networks.
• It is mainly produced in Syria.
• It is smuggled across West Asia.

When:

• Original version first produced in 1960s.
  • It contained fenetylline- a synthetic compound of the phenethylamine family.
  • It was produced by Degussa Pharma Gruppe, a German company.
  • It was used to treat:
    • Attention deficit disorders
    • Narcolepsy, etc.
  • It was banned in 1980s due to concerns over its addictive nature. copyright©iasexpress.net
• The current version is a counterfeit.

Facts:

• It is alleged that the Captagon sale has been a financial lifeline for the al-Assad (Syrian President) government, even as the country continues to suffer the economic crisis going on since 2011, when the civil war broke out.
• In 2014, it was reported that the drug was being used by the Islamic State and Syrian fighters to supress their appetite and boost their alertness during battles.
• The foreign ministers of Jordan, Iraq and Syria have agreed to cooperate to identify and curtail the illegal production and smuggling of this drug.
• Following this meeting, a high-profile Syrian drug smuggler was killed in an airstrike in southern Syria, reportedly carried out by Jordan.
• Amphetamine use by militaries:
  • Amphetamines were discovered in 1910 and were 1^st chemically synthesized in 1927.
  • Its use by the armed forced peaked during the WWII.
    • Pervitin was a methamphetamine used by Nazi Germany. Noted use include during the Blitzkrieg strategy.
    • Benzedrine was an amphetamine sulphate used by the Allied forces.
  • In the US:
    • The US government banned Benzedrine inhalers only in 1965. However, soldiers continued to use it.
    • Reports of the use of ‘go pills’ among pilots of the US Air Force.
    • Use of Dexedrine the US Air Force linked to inadvertent bombing of Canadian soldiers in 2022. copyright©iasexpress.net