Meanwhile, Iraq has recently participated in several operations against Captagon, mainly through joint cooperation with the Syrian Transitional Government. The new Syrian authorities have managed to significantly reduce the production and illegal trade of Captagon in Syria by 2025. However, the production infrastructure and trafficking persist, suggesting a continuation of the drug trafficking practices of the previous political regime, with the new authorities reportedly systematically allowing the flow of Captagon from Lebanon to Jordan.
Suwayda is not the only area involved in smuggling. On 14 and 22 April 2026, the National Guard shot down balloons carrying Captagon tablets from Daraa. This suggests there is a conflict of interest between different factions over the control of drug trafficking in the region, where local actors—whether affiliated with the new government or independent—are attempting to rebuild the former narco-state.