US, UK designate Lebanese Noah Zaitar, Hassan Daqqou for trafficking Captagon, supporting Syrian regime and Hezbollah

The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action on Tuesday, in coordination with the United Kingdom, to designate key individuals for their support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the production or export of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine. The trade in Captagon is estimated to have become a billion-dollar illicit enterprise.

The action highlights the important role of Lebanese drug traffickers, some of whom maintain ties to Hizballah, in facilitating the export of Captagon. It also underscores the dominance of the al-Assad family in illicit Captagon trafficking and its funding for the oppressive Syrian regime.

“Syria has become a global leader in the production of highly addictive Captagon, much of which is trafficked through Lebanon,” said OFAC Director Andrea M. Gacki. “With our allies, we will hold accountable those who support Bashar al-Assad’s regime with illicit drug revenue and other financial means that enable the regime’s continued repression of the Syrian people.”

The individuals being designated include Khalid Qaddour, a Syrian businessman and close associate of Maher al-Assad, who manages the revenues generated by illicit revenue-generation schemes. Samer Kamal al-Assad, a cousin of President al-Assad, oversees key Captagon production facilities in regime-controlled Latakia, Syria, and Wassim Badi al-Assad, another cousin of President al-Assad, has supported the Syrian Arab Army in various roles and has been a key figure in the regional drug trafficking network. Imad Abu Zureik, a former Free Syrian Army commander who now leads a Syrian Military Intelligence-affiliated militia, has played an important role enabling drug production and smuggling in southern Syria.

In addition, the action designates Lebanese-Syrian dual national Hassan Muhammad Daqqou, dubbed by media as “The King of Captagon,” who has been linked to drug trafficking operations carried out by the Syrian Arab Army’s Fourth Division, directed by Maher al-Assad, and with cover reportedly provided by Hizballah. Also designated is Noah Zaitar, a Lebanese national with close ties to both the Syrian Arab Army’s Fourth Division and certain members of Hizballah.

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these individuals that are in or come within the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. Any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. OFAC regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.