UN report: Crystal meth likely to fill captagon gap in Syria

A UN report has warned that the disruptions in Syria’s captagon market, coinciding with the collapse of the Baath regime, could lead to the spread of methamphetamine in the region—locally known as “crystal”—amid the global expansion of synthetic drug trade.

27 June, 2026 15:50

NEWSDESK

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in its 2026 World Drug Report, stated that changes in the captagon market and rising prices following the fall of the former Baath regime on December 8, 2024, could push some users in Syria and the Middle East toward methamphetamine (crystal), which is witnessing growing spread in the region.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive synthetic chemical stimulant with longer-lasting effects than cocaine and is cheaper to purchase.

The report noted that drug trafficking networks continue to exploit modern technology and instability to develop trafficking methods and open new markets, alongside the global increase in the production and distribution of synthetic drugs.

It also highlighted that the number of drug users worldwide rose to about 331 million people in 2024, representing 6.2% of the global population, compared to 5.2% a decade earlier.

Deaths caused by opioid use disorders increased by 71% over the past ten years, while cannabis remains the most widely used substance, followed by opioids, amphetamines, and cocaine.

The report indicated that methamphetamine and cocaine markets are expanding in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia due to shifting trafficking routes and increased production. It also noted that the number of new psychoactive substances in circulation reached 755 in 2024, including 118 substances reported for the first time.

It also stressed that drug trafficking contributes to the escalation of violence and crime and undermines stability, calling for strengthened international cooperation, increased prevention and treatment efforts, and the pursuit of organized crime networks.

A-H

ANHA