Libya seizes Gaddafi-shaped ecstasy and Syrian-origin captagon in major drug busts

Libyan authorities in the capital halted a consignment of 100,000 MDMA tablets fashioned with the bust of Muammar Gaddafi after the anti-terrorism and organised-crime directorate, Rada, received intelligence about a network moving the pills through a European country. The drugs were concealed inside a Renault Master van that entered through an unnamed port, and suspects have been handed to the public prosecutor. In the rival-controlled east, the Criminal Investigation Agency reported seizing captagon tablets whose origin appears to be Syria, where the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime once ran a multibillion-dollar illicit amphetamine trade.

Analysts estimate the Syrian captagon market generated up to $10 billion annually at its peak, with the al-Assad family network earning billions. The two operations underscore Libya’s growing importance as a conduit for synthetic drugs, a trend noted by the UNODC’s 2026 assessment, and reflect lingering links between Syrian production sites and Libyan distribution channels despite recent crackdowns.