Arab Digest podcasts Captagon's new hub in Sudan
Nov 20, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Caroline Rose, Director at the New Lines Institute and an expert on Captagon, unpacks Sudan's emergence as a new hub for Captagon production. She reveals how the civil war and the RSF's activities have exploited the fall of the Assad regime. Caroline also highlights the troubling links between UAE networks and the local conflict. With rising demand in the Gulf, she warns about the potential for increased consumption in Sudan. Finally, she advocates for strategic measures to combat this growing drug trade.
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Syria's Captagon Empire Rapidly Dismantled
- The new al-Shara regime in Syria prioritized dismantling the Assad-era Captagon production networks from day one.
- They have seized multiple labs, hundreds of thousands of pills, and arrested key traffickers tied to the former regime.
Sudan Emerges As A New Captagon Site
- After Assad's fall, Sudan has emerged as an attractive site for Captagon production and transit.
- Investigations found industrial-scale lab material and packaging with links to Damascus-based companies.
Conflict Fuels Production Under RSF Control
- Captagon production and seizures in Sudan often occurred in areas controlled by the RSF during the conflict.
- The drug offers lucrative alternative revenue for armed actors like the RSF amid territorial shifts.