Police in Dubai seized 86 million tablets of the amphetamine known as Captagon hidden in a shipment of doors and decorative building panels, authorities said Thursday, estimating its street value at just over $1 billion. The bust comes as sales of the amphetamine have become a Mideast-wide problem during Syria's long war. A surveillance video released by the Interior Ministry in the United Arab Emirates shows suspects trying to bring the Captagon tablets through Dubai's massive Jebel Ali Port.
In As-Suwayda, hundreds of Druze, including women, protest against the economic crisis, corruption, drug trafficking, and subsidy cuts. The rallies are the most significant since the 2011 Arab Spring, but a lack of leadership undermines their prospects. Meanwhile, Syrian President Assad scraps military field courts, notorious for abuses and violations.
In the annals of illicit substances, the United Kingdom has confronted its share of drug-related challenges. Nonetheless, a novel threat looms, one that not only imperils the well-being of the nation s youth but also intertwines with a broader geopolitical gambit.