Foreign Policy: Saudi Arabia capital of drug consumption
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An article published in the Foreign Policy magazine explains how Saudi Arabia became a profitable market for drug traffickers, especially Captagon, due to the Saudi regimes' social restrictions on its citizens.
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Between 2015 and 2019, more than half of all Captagon seized in the Middle East were in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabian regime is struggling to limit its drug smuggling problem, with smugglers becoming smarter, hiding pills inside furniture and water pumps, the Foreign Policy magazine reported.
Syria's government busted over 500 kilograms of Captagon drugs packed in a pasta shipment that was headed to Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh.
Later, the Saudi authorities caught over 30 million Captagon tablets that were hidden in imported cardamom seeds shipment.
In mid-December, Lebanese security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle four million Captagon pills hidden in coffee bags to the Saudi capital to Riyadh through Jordan, pointed out the magazine.
According to Foreign Policy, "Captagon busts have become a regular affair inside Saudi Arabia," and the country "has become a lucrative market for drug traffickers and emerged as the capital of drug consumption in the region" due to Saudi demand for manufacturers and the slacking of the Saudi authorities.
Captagon is a mood enhancer that keeps its consumer awake and euphoric but leads to future health issues.
Between 2015 and 2019, more than half of all Captagon seized in the Middle East was in Saudi Arabia, confirmed the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Originally, the drug Captagon was produced in Germany to treat narcolepsy and depression but was banned in the 80s due to its addictiveness.
Now, Saudi Arabia is concerned about the effect of the drug on its younger generations, said Foreign Policy.
In fact, the magazine pointed out that 40 percent of Saudi addicts use Captagon, while most Saudi drug users are between 12 and 22 years old.
Foreign Policy quoted some researchers as saying that boredom and the Saudi regime's social restrictions "are the leading cause of drug use in Saudi Arabia."
