Cutting off Lebanon
won’t stem Captagon

Foreign Policy

Instead of pushing Beirut to the economic brink, Saudi Arabia should address its own amphetamine addiction.

There is an unstated element in the recent Gulf pressure campaign against Lebanon that transcends political and sectarian dynamics: The Gulf is a destination market in the Middle Eastern drug trade. A notable uptick in smuggled shipments of captagon, an amphetamine-type substance—transited through overland routes in Jordan and Lebanon, as well as maritime routes in the Mediterranean and Red Sea—has overwhelmed ports of entry in the Persian Gulf, introducing a challenge that customs systems and interior ministries have struggled to navigate. Yet the decision to impose a blanket ban on Lebanese imports may have backfired. FULL STORY