Drug warehouse allegedly belonging to Bashar al-Assad's brother captured on camera
Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, it has been revealed that a military base belonging to the 4th Division, allegedly under the command of Assad's brother Maher al-Assad, was one of the world's largest centers for drug production and trafficking. While the global captagon trade is stated to reach a value of 10 billion dollars annually, illegal activities in this sector have turned into a major economic resource. Here are the images...
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Following the clashes with opposition forces in Syria, the 61-year-old Ba'ath regime has collapsed.
As details of the operations come to light, the largest drug warehouse allegedly linked to the Assad regime has been uncovered.
DOES IT BELONG TO BASHAR AL-ASSAD'S BROTHER?
It is alleged that a headquarters belonging to the 4th Division, commanded by Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher al-Assad, on the Syria-Lebanon highway was used not as a military base, but as a warehouse where drugs shipped to the region were prepared.
According to estimates by the United Kingdom government, Assad was responsible for 80 percent of the global production of the drug known as captagon.
ANNUAL VALUE OF CAPTAGON TRADE REACHES 10 BILLION DOLLARS
It is alleged that the annual value of the global captagon trade reaches 10 billion dollars, and that the annual profit of the ousted Assad family approached 2.4 billion dollars.
At the entrance of the warehouse, which is alleged to have been used as a headquarters, there are pictures of Bashar and Maher al-Assad.
On the walls of the base, phrases such as "Our blood, our lives are sacrificed for you, Bashar" and "We are all Assad" are written.
SHOE SOLES FILLED WITH CAPTAGON
Vehicles with civilian license plates draw attention around the poison base.
Syrians report that these are cars seized from civilians and used for drug trafficking.
In the containers, it is seen that hundreds of boxes of high-addiction "opioid"-containing drugs, which are subject to green prescription, are stored inside pistachio boxes.
In another hangar at the military base, a large number of shoe boxes were found.
It is stated that sacks full of captagon were placed in shoe soles for transport.
It is seen that mattresses are lined up around the area to be used in the same way for drug trafficking.
In a third warehouse, drugs such as cannabis and captagon are seen packaged and lined up on shelves.
It is stated that the smell of drugs is intensely felt upon entering the warehouse.
It is understood that many products that would not be found at a military base, such as foam surfboards, doors with gaps between them, wooden particle board blocks, and industrial-type ventilation equipment, were used here to conceal drugs during the transport process.
DRUG DIVISION
Ismail Zeytun, a responsible guard working under the Ministry of Defense of the interim government in Syria, said, "This is one of the warehouses of the 4th Division. The pills and cannabis packaged here were exported to neighboring countries."
Noting that raw materials and drugs such as captagon and cannabis were found in the warehouse, Zeytun stated, "In the 4th Division headquarters, there are manufacturing facilities in addition to the warehouses. This warehouse here is a packaging center. Drug trafficking was carried out to neighboring countries using many products such as wood, shoes, marble stones, and electrical appliances."
It is alleged that the administration earned billions of dollars from the drug trade, which was one of its largest sources of income.
It is also among the allegations that the drug production and smuggling network, headed by Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher al-Assad, largely shipped substances produced within Syria to regional countries and the world via Lebanon.
