Assad’s billion-dollar drug industry keeps regime family ‘flush with money,’ wreaks havoc across region
Fox News
Gulf Arab countries are struggling to deal with an uptick in Captagon being smuggled across the region. Experts discuss how Syria uses Captagon as an illicit alternative revenue source.
Bashar al-Assad, center; his younger brother Maher, left; and sister Bushra walk behind the coffin of their father, the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad at the start of the state funeral in Damascus June 13. (REUTERS) A man shows fake oranges filled with Captagon pills in boxes containing real fruit after the shipment was intercepted by customs and the anti-drug brigade at the Beirut port in the Lebanese capital Dec. 29, 2021. (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images) A customs officer displays Captagon pills in Sofia, 12, 2007. The drugs are worth around 68 million Levs ($48 million). (Reuters/Nikolay Doychinov ) Ashley Carnahan is a production assistant at Fox News Digital.
Caroline Rose, director of the New Lines Institute’s Project on the Captagon Trade, told Fox News Digital Captagon appeals across demographics.
"The pill's ability to induce a euphoric rush attracts recreational users as well as those seeking to repress trauma, while others seek out Captagon for its ability to improve productivity, stave sleep for hours at a time and reduce hunger," Rose said.
DHS pushes back on Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva's claims that she was "pushed aside and pepper sprayed" during an immigration raid near a Tucson restaurant.
The Department of Homeland Security arrested seven criminal illegal immigrants in Minneapolis, including "pedophiles, gang members and drug traffickers."
Airlines face scrutiny over shutdown flight cuts as data shows only a 2% reduction when 6% was required, raising serious compliance questions for carriers.
Texas DPS agents found 30 handguns hidden in a truck’s spare tire at the Anzalduas Port of Entry. Two men were arrested on theft and face firearm-smuggling charges.
President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social on Friday he signed a memorandum to review the 72-vaccine schedule required for all American children from infancy onward.
88-year-old Army veteran working at grocery store receives over $1.7M in donations after viral video
Australian influencer Sam Weidenhofer's viral video about Army veteran Edmund Bambas working at grocery store at age 88 sparks massive GoFundMe raising over $1.7 million.
CNN's Jake Tapper issued a correction after referring the Black 30-year-old D.C. pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. as a "White man" during his network's coverage of the arrest.
Louisiana AG Liz Murrill is calling on NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick to ensure full officers cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warns Republicans must take bolder action to retain Trump-aligned voters who may not turn out in future elections without Trump on the ballot.
Congress members focus on personal attacks and censure efforts against colleagues rather than legislating, with multiple discipline cases pending in 2025.
Judge Rodney Smith grants Justice Department request to unseal Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury transcripts under new transparency law.
Senate faces deadlock over Obamacare subsidies as Republicans demand Hyde Amendment protections to prevent taxpayer funded abortions, while Democrats refuse.
Trump administration's new National Security Strategy shifts focus from Middle East terrorism to Western Hemisphere threats, declaring mass migration the top security concern.