SOUTHWEST ASIA – The Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT), a Coalition Aligned Security Force within the 55 km Deconfliction Zone (DCZ), seized illicit drugs worth an estimated $3.5 million in southern Syria Oct. 23, 2019.
“Smugglers of weapons and drugs within the DCZ has historically been linked to the Daesh network,” said the Special Operation Forces (SOF) commander working alongside the MaT.
The smuggler transporting the drugs was hiding them under the normal guise of supplies being transported to the Rukban camp.
“The MaT Combat Outpost that caught the smuggler was very proficient in their search,” said the SOF commander. “They identified the truck had hidden compartments and found nearly 850,000 Captagon pills.”
Captagon is an amphetamine narcotic very common in the region and similar to the drug speed.
“This is one of the biggest drug busts we have ever had,” said Col. Muhanned Tallah, the MaT commander. “This is meaningful for us because these drugs are destroying our society here and it is a huge blow against our enemies and their campaign. Hopefully, this will increase cooperation with our neighboring countries so we can work together to prevent these drugs from hurting our people.”
The MaT is a defeat Daesh partner with the Global Coalition operating in southern Syria.
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Editor’s Note: Photos from drug bust are located at 
The Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT), a Coalition Aligned Security Force, seize illicit drugs worth an estimated $3.5 million in southern Syria, Oct. 23, 2019. The MaT confiscated and destroyed roughly 850,000 pills of Captagon, a regional amphetamine used to fund Daesh operations. In conjunction with partner forces, the Global Coalition defeats Daesh in designated areas of Iraq and Syria and sets conditions for follow-on operations to increase regional stability. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kyle Alvarez)