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Biden signs off on defence spending budget that included targeting of Syria captagon trade

A proposal to target theÌýSyrian regime's allegedÌýproduction and export ofÌýthe drug captagon was included in the US' annual defence spending bill for the upcoming year.
2 min read
24 December, 2022
The production of captagon, an amphetamine stimulant, increased significantly in Syria during the ongoing conflict in the country [Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty]

US President Joe Biden signed a massive defence spending bill into law on Friday that includes a proposal to combat the Syrian regime's trade of captagon.

Biden approved military spending of nearlyÌý$858 billion for the upcoming year - roughly 10 percent more than the year before,Ìýas lawmakers look to account for inflation and boost the nation’s military competitiveness with China and Russia.

Included in the wide-ranging bill was a proposal to target the allegedÌýproduction and export ofÌýcaptagon, an amphetamine, by the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad.

°Õ³ó±ðÌý,Ìýas the bill is officially known, included a requirement for the US government to formulate a strategy to target the Assad regime's use of theÌýtrade, which analysts say has provided it with millions of dollars in funding.

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The bill requires US agencies to develop a strategy to disrupt and dismantle the production and trafficking of the drug.

It also asks that the US support its allies in the region dealing with the smuggling of captagon into their territories.

The bill was proposed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in July andÌýapproved by the House of RepresentativesÌýin September.

The Senate passed the defence policy bill earlier this month by a vote of 83-11, with broad bipartisan support.

The production of captagon, an amphetamine stimulant, increased significantly in Syria during the conflict in the country, which began in 2011 when the Assad regime violently suppressed protests against its rule.

Authorities in neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan and beyond have become increasingly frustrated with the captagon trade, even though intricate networks have been uncovered and tens of millions of pills confiscated in recent years.

Agencies contributed to this report

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