It has since grown to see involvement from both state and non-state actors in conflict zones in the region. The drug gained notoriety in the mid-2010s for its use and trade by Islamic State fighters. ![]() The pills are then usually smuggled by land to Jordan, from where it is believed to reach Gulf states. The report stated that disaffected young people facing high unemployment and few outlets to relieve their frustrations have gravitated toward the drug as a coping tool, which gives a temporary feeling of well-being.ĭespite the Syrian government enacting occasional crackdowns on Captagon, it appears to have more recently become the chief manufacturer of the drug along its border with Lebanon, reports the research organization. The think tank said that large-scale drug seizures are common but have done little to weaken the multibillion-dollar industry, because government authorities pursue the supply side of the issue without much attention to the demand. In December, Jordan seized 1 ton, or 6 million pills, of Captagon being smuggled in date paste inside two refrigerator trucks at its Iraq border, reported the BBC.īefore that, Saudi Arabia found 46 million amphetamine pills hidden in a flour shipment in what was believed to be the kingdom’s biggest drug bust at the time, according to the country’s government news agency Saudi Press Agency.Ĭaptagon has increasingly become the drug of choice among youth in Gulf Arab states, and particularly in Saudi Arabia, according to the Arab Center. They are highly addictive and dangerous.įenethylline, better known as Captagon, is a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant illegally sold in consumer markets across the Arabian Peninsula. The SPA report did not specify whether the 4.6 million amphetamine pills announced today from the Jeddah bust were Captagon. ![]() A monetary value was not attributed to the 4,693,000 pills.Īmphetamines are classified as stimulant drugs that speed up messages sent to and from the brain and the body, and are used to treat conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. “While our review of the available information on products containing BMPEA does not identify a specific safety concern at this time, the FDA will consider taking regulatory action, as appropriate, to protect consumers,” she said.DUBAI - Saudi Arabian authorities have foiled a plot to smuggle about 4.6 million amphetamine pills in shipments of ceramic toilets, sinks, and washbasins, they announced Wednesday,Ī Jordanian national was apprehended while receiving the shipment in the Red Sea City of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia’s western Hejaz region, reported the kingdom’s government news agency SPA. He said the FDA’s failure to act is “completely inexcusable.”įDA spokeswoman Juli Putnam acknowledged that the agency published research on the occurrence of BMPEA in Acacia rigidula supplements in 2013. In an interview, Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and one of the study’s authors, said that while the effects of BMPEA are unknown, the compound is potentially dangerous. ![]() “Physicians should remain vigilant for patients presenting with toxicity from sports and weight-loss supplements as they might contain undisclosed stimulants, such as BMPEA.” “The FDA should immediately warn consumers about BMPEA and take aggressive enforcement action to eliminate BMPEA in dietary supplements,” the study said. Clayton Bloszies is affiliated with Haverford College, not Harvard Medical School and Caleb Yee is with UC San Francisco, not Haverford College. Contaminated supplements: In the April 7 Business section, an article about a study showing that an amphetamine-like substance is present in a range of dietary supplements misstated two of the authors’ academic affiliations.
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