The Middle East’s Captagon crisis

In April 2021, customs officers in the Saudi city of Jeddah searched a shipment of Lebanese pomegranates. Hidden inside the fruit were more than five million circular, beige Captagon pills – illegal amphetamines.

It was the latest in a long line of interceptions in recent years that have seen officers in the kingdom stop millions of pills and tonnes of drugs being smuggled in. 

But for Saudi Arabia, it was the final straw. The kingdom announced a ban on imported fruits and vegetables from Lebanon, dealing a huge blow to farmers already suffering from the country’s economic collapse and sending a shockwave through the region.

Over the last decade, Captagon has spread across the Middle East to become one of the most consumed narcotics. 

It gained particular infamy in the early years of the Syrian war as the drug of choice for militants like ISIS. Fighters took the pills on the battlefield as it fuelled them to fight for days without sleep or food.

In this week's Beyond the Headlines host James Haines Young introduces a major investigation by The National into the Middle East’s Captagon crisis.

Hosted by James Haines-Young
Produced by Arthur Scott-Geddes, Arthur Eddyson and Ayesha Khan