Regimes' hidden weapon against society... drugs (5)

Drug networks in NE Syria seek to spread their poison in schools, gardens, restaurants, cafeterias, and Autonomous Administration institutions. They also use pharmacies to do so, targeting children, women, and youth.

Drug networks, which have become, in recent years, a major part of the attacks against NE Syria, and focus on the public and crowded places.

According to the investigations of the security forces in NE Syria and the confessions of the arrested members of the drug networks; The members of these networks move to the regions of NE Syria from the areas of the government of Damascus, Lebanon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the areas occupied by Turkey, and the families of a number of these people moved from the areas occupied by Turkey to the areas of the Autonomous Administration, and due to the circulation of their names at the border crossings from Before the Autonomous Administration, they used illegal methods (smuggling) or false identities, as some of them pretended to be displaced, while others entered the region under the pretext of trade or bringing in aid.

Establishment of drug networks

Most of those involved in drug networks live with their families in the region, especially in villages belonging to the regions; Such as Tel Hamis and Tel Koçer, and Damascus government-held areas, such as Qamishlo, Hasaka, and the villages adjacent to the occupied areas. While there are people who cross into the region in the name of trade and the introduction of aid, in various districts and cities and seek to build their toxic networks, they also deal with the sleeper cells of the mercenary groups of the Turkish occupation state and the espionage and labor networks.

In this context, the administrator of the Internal Security Forces in the Jazeera region, Zouzan Salma, indicated that the members of these networks organize themselves in the region through their families, commercial transactions (diesel, cigarettes, foodstuffs, etc.), transportation of medical equipment, in addition to their organization in Gardens, restaurants and cafeterias, and confirmed: "Each one of them has a number of forged identities, as they have a different identity in each city, and many such identities have been seized with the detainees."

Targeting AANES's institutions

Salma referred to the attempt of drug networks to infiltrate the institutions of the Autonomous Administration, by planting their members in the institutions, and said: "To achieve this, they tried to involve their members in the courts and security services, and sought to build an intelligence network in these circles, and our forces arrested 13 people in this framework."

Manufacturing and distribution

The distribution of drugs begins after set up the networks, where they work on distributing them in two ways. The first method is the disbursement and distribution of drugs that were introduced to the Autonomous Administration areas from abroad, in schools, parks, restaurants, cafeterias and streets.

The second method is the manufacture and distribution of drugs. Pharmacies are also used for this purpose, as members of these networks obtain many drugs that should not be dispensed and sold only by prescription, with ease and then mix them to obtain drugs; Some pharmacists also bring some medicines, which are only available in hospitals and are prohibited from being distributed, into the area illegally.

The co-chair of the Health Body in North and East Syria, Dr. Joan Mustafa, indicated that the Control Committee revealed the illegal entry of many banned medicines into the region and their distribution to a number of pharmacies.

After research and investigation, the security forces launched an investigation, which resulted in the closure of a pharmacy in Qamishlo for selling many prohibited medicines without a prescription, in addition to other expired medicines.

An employee in a drug store was also arrested as his involvement with a drug network.

According to the information provided by the security forces in Manbij, the security pursuit of the drug networks resulted in the seizure of a network of its members collecting drug manufacturing equipment and they were arrested, and it became clear that this network has a relationship with the so-called National Defense of the Damascus government and other mercenary groups, the network members admitted that they get support from occupied territories and other countries such as Lebanon and Turkey.

They target schools and children

Drug networks directly target children and schools. They use schools and crowded public places such as parks to promote and sell these toxins to children and encourage them to use them. About two months ago, security forces in a school in Manbij arrested two members of a drug network who were spreading and distributing drugs.

The two detainees admitted in their testimonies that they give children crystal pills, Captagon, and heroin, and gradually drag them into addiction.

 To do so, they first distribute them for free, and then, after the children become addicted, involve them in working with them in these networks, and then exploit them in selling and promoting them.

The same detainees also admitted that taking advantage of the exam period is one of the methods of deceiving children, as they tell them at the time to "take this pill, it will increase your concentration and overcome your feeling of sleepiness."

Many of the children who were arrested by the security forces and are now being held in children's homes under the supervision of the Autonomous Administration have clearly recounted the practices of these drug networks.

Restaurants, parks and cafeterias

Zozan Salma, revealed that drug networks are trying to establish branches for them in restaurants, gardens, and cafeterias as well, as many members of these networks start working in restaurants and cafeterias, and sell drugs to drug users and buyers. In the same context, a citizen working in a drugstore said: One of the restaurants, when I started working there was another worker who was always seeking to get close to me and build a friendship with me, to suggest to me after a period of drug use and work with him, saying 'we will earn a lot of money', but I did not accept and left work in the restaurant."

Number of teachers, engineers and lawyers have been implicated in these networks

Along with children, adolescents and young adults, lawyers, teachers, doctors and engineers also fall into the trap of drug networks. Dr. Issa Hammadi, the doctor at Al-Furat Hospital in the city of Manbij, who treats drug addicts,  said: “Many of the addicts who visited us are teachers, teachers, doctors, and lawyers, and most of them suffer from family and financial problems that led to the deterioration of their psychological condition, and they are affected by the occupation attacks and they feel emptiness, which eventually led them to drug use.

They trap women with dirty methods

Women are also considered among the main targets of drug networks, Salma indicated that members of these networks pursue young women, especially female students to lure them into their traps. under the control of the Damascus government, and most of them work in espionage, labor and prostitution.

These networks also operate under the supervision of sleeper cells and the Turkish intelligence services.

Salma talked about the dirty methods, saying: "They contact with women in society under the pretext of (friendship) and then give them drugs as painkillers, so that the victim loses consciousness after taking them, so they take off their clothes and film them, and then threaten her with these videos to force her to spy and work in prostitution in exchange for drugs, and then join these networks and many girls and young women between the ages of 14 and 24 have fallen into this trap.

They sent about 100 women to the region

Zozan Salma revealed that the Damascus government sent 100 women involved in prostitution and drug distribution to the Autonomous Administration areas in 2022 and said: "About 100 women who fell into the trap of drug and prostitution networks were sent to the Autonomous Administration areas from the areas of the Damascus government, such as Damascus, Hama and Daraa under the control of the National Defense Group.

 The Damascus government seeks to strike and defeat our society with these methods, so these women were assigned this mission."

Drug dealer: I received 200 Captagon pills at Martyr Youssef Kalo Square

A member of one of the drug networks known as initials (H.K.), after his arrest by the Internal Security Forces, admitted that he had received 200 Captagon pills, a quantity of crystal and heroin from another person, at the Martyr Youssef Kalo roundabout in Qamishlo, and said: “Then we went to the hotel to distribute it, but we were arrested by the security forces at 02:00 in possession of drugs.”

A former State Security member of the National Defense: I took two members of a drug ring to my house

L.A. from the city of Qamishlo was a member of the State Security of the Damascus government between 1993 and 1997, and he was arrested by the General Administration for Drug Control in North and East Syria 4 days after the arrest of members of a drug network in one of Qamishlo hotels. He says (L.A.): “A person called Milad, with whom I have a previous acquaintance, called me and asked me to take two drivers who work with him to my house, so I did, so they put 4 bags of drugs in my house. They told me that they had received a package of the Chemical from the Asia Pharmaceutical Industries factory in Aleppo to send it to Iraq, and they brought that package to my house and left it for two days, then returned to collect it after that.

Dealing  with Sharabati

L.A.A. indicated that he is in contact with Abd al-Wahhab Sharabati, who is in charge of the drug network between Turkey and Lebanon and lives in Turkey, and said: “I met Sharabati 30 years ago in one of the branches of the Damascus security government, these two people came to my house and advised me to take care of them because Sharabati was working in the trade of coal, eggs and tobacco, and he had a factory for soft drinks.

He was working with the Damascus government and visiting high-ranking officers, then he had relations with the military intelligence, and arrested for a while before "The Damascus government then released him. According to my information, he has relations with ISIS and all parties, and moves between Turkey and Lebanon. He told me on the phone once that he is in the Bekaa region with Hezbollah."

On the one hand, the Autonomous Administration institutions take the necessary procedures and measures to combat and prosecute drug networks, and work to save people who have fallen into the trap of these networks through awareness campaigns and treatment of addicts. This topic will be the last part of our file, which will be published tomorrow.

a.k

ANHA