Babel: Translating the Middle East Mohanad Hage Ali: Hezbollah and the Captagon Trade
May 15, 2025
Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center, sheds light on Hezbollah's role in the Captagon smuggling trade in Lebanon. He discusses how this situation threatens Lebanese sovereignty but also offers a chance for political reform. Mona Yacoubian, director at CSIS, elaborates on the drug trade's impact on stability and the pressing challenges law enforcement faces amidst clan-based networks. Their insightful conversation reveals a complex interplay of crime, politics, and potential pathways to stronger governance in Lebanon.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Captagon Centralizes Drug Wealth
- The Captagon trade generated far larger concentrated profits than traditional hashish networks, enabling drug barons to wield greater political influence.
- Mohanad Hage Ali explains this shift from dispersed clan-based production to centralized synthetic drug cartels that can buy influence.
Economic Collapse Fueled Corruption
- Lebanon's economic collapse shrank security salaries and normalized second jobs, undermining morale and enabling corruption in law enforcement.
- External pressure from Gulf states later forced high-profile arrests that exposed the networks' political reach.
Drug Barons With Political Photos
- Mohanad recounts that major drug barons like Hamad Rasha and Hassan Dutroh had photos with politicians from both political camps.
- These images illustrated the smugglers' ability to navigate and buy entry across Lebanon's polarized politics.