The US House of Representatives approved, by an overwhelming majority, a bill titled “Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act” (Captagon 2), which grants the US government extended powers to punish the Syrian regime and its partners who benefit from illegal funding through the Captagon trade.
The bill was passed with bipartisan support, tallying 410 votes in favor and just 13 against.
This legislation enables issuing new and direct sanctions against the “offenders” who unlawfully produce and trade Captagon, according to a statement released on Tuesday, April 16, from the official website of the Congressman from the Republican party, French Hill, who sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives.
The statement also mentioned that Iran is the main financier of Hamas and Hezbollah, which increases their terrorist partnership with the Syrian regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad, the killer, supported by the Captagon drug that generates billions in illegal funding and destroys families in the region.
French Hill said in his statement, “The required strategy that the US government has initiated to combat Assad’s production and smuggling of Captagon is still in its early stages, and we need to impose new sanctions that directly target individuals and networks associated with the Captagon trade,” highlighting the importance of enacting the bill he presented for these reasons.
The bill aims to impose new sanctions related to the illegal trade of Captagon in Syria, linked to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as per the statement.
Mohammed Ghanem, policy chief at the American Coalition for Syria (ACS), said via “X,” that the bill aims to provide the US government with new, extended powers to hold the Assad regime and its affiliated networks accountable, as well as all who are active or engaged in trafficking Captagon drugs, their manufacturing, smuggling, or benefiting from their resulting revenues, regardless of nationality.
In November 2023, the House Foreign Affairs Committee authorized the “Captagon 2” bill without any member objecting, as 44 deputies from both parties voted in favor of the bill at that time.
The “Captagon 2” bill text also notes that the Congress discovered that the massive manufacturing of Captagon and the production of its raw materials in areas under Syrian regime control have evolved to a level that threatens both regional and international security.