International News: In Saudi Arabia, a drug pill is proving to be fatal. The name of this drug is Captagon. This illegal tablet has spread so much in recent years that in Saudi Arabia, till now 144 people have been sentenced to death due to it in 2025 alone. Two-thirds of the total 217 executions have happened in drug-related cases.
This drug was once smuggled from Syria on a large scale. But after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, the new interim government promised to attack its roots. In June 2025, it was claimed that all Captagon factories in the country had been closed. But despite this, its effect remains in Saudi.
What is Captagon?
Captagon is also called the cocaine of the poor. This is an amphetamine-like drug, which is very popular among the rich classes of the Middle East. Especially the rich youth of Saudi Arabia have become addicted to this drug. At the same time, the sellers are being hanged straight away. Most of the people involved in smuggling and selling this drug are foreign immigrants.
Like poor people of countries like Egypt, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Syria who are hanged straight away for the crime of smuggling. In June 2025 itself, 37 people were sentenced to death in drug-related cases, out of which 34 were foreign nationals.
Defiant Crown Prince Resists Global Criticism
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman considers this drug a threat to society. He believes that if strict action is not taken, these drugs will hollow out the social foundation of Saudi Arabia. That is why, despite criticism from international organizations, he is not shying away from giving the death penalty to drug smugglers.
The drug that caused havoc in Syria
This drug comes directly from Syria. By 2023, 80 percent of the world's Captagon was made in Syria. An investigation by the New York Times revealed that these drugs had become the main source of income for Syria's deteriorating economy. Maher al-Assad, brother of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was one of the biggest faces of this drug trade. Despite international sanctions, Syria had turned into a narco-state.
