The member countries of the European Union have seized 127 million Captagon addictive pills, which were being rerouted to Gulf countries, primarily Saudi Arabia.

Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine-type drug which is mainly manufactured in Syria before being smuggled to countries across the region.

Europe has become a pivotal transhipment point of the Syrian-made amphetamine known as Captagon from the Middle East to the Gulf region, reported Al Jazeera.

A report published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) revealed that the European Union seized a large quantity of Captagon likely to be transported to the Gulf.

EU member states collectively reported seizing 127 million tablets and 1,773kg (2 tonnes) of the drug during the data collection period for this report. The largest single seizure of 84 million tablets was in Salerno, Italy in 2020.

On Thursday, the police in the United Arab Emirates also seized 13 tonnes of amphetamine pills smuggled in furniture, reported the BBC.

However, the police did not mention the origin of the suspects involved in the illegal shipment.

Maj Gen Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, head of the police’s anti-narcotics department, said that an X-ray machine and a police dog unit helped uncover the haul.

Moreover, the EMCDDA report revealed that the pills were smuggled after repacking, and some Syrian and Lebanese nationals were involved in trafficking operations.

Despite rerouting, there were no reports received about the domestic use. Additionally, the Dutch police have uncovered a large production site of Capatgon.

The world declared Captagon illegal after Germany produced it in 1960, but it is still used in the Gulf countries.