Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday confirmed that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized the first-ever consignment of Captagon, better known as the "Jihadi Drug", worth Rs 182 crore.
"Glad to share that through 'Operation RAGEPILL', our agencies have achieved the first-ever seizure of Captagon, the so-called "Jihadi Drug", worth Rs 182 crore," Shah said.
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"The busting of the drug consignment destined for the Middle East and the arrest of a foreign national stand out as shining examples of our commitment to zero tolerance against drugs," he said.
"I repeat, we will clamp down on every gram of drugs entering India or leaving the country using our territory as a transit route. Kudos to the brave and vigilant warriors of the NCB. @narcoticsbureau," the post further read.
A house was identified in Neb Sarai, New Delhi, and searches were conducted on May 11, which led to the recovery of about 31.5 kg of Captagon tablets carefully concealed in a commercial chapati-cutting machine. Preliminary investigation suggests that the machine was intended for export to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the statement said.
The said house in Neb Sarai had been rented by a Syrian national, who had entered India on a tourist visa on November 15, 2024. His visa expired on January 12, 2025, and he was illegally staying in India, the MHA said.
His questioning led to the recovery of about 196.2 kg of Captagon powder from a container in the Container Freight Station (CFS) at Mundra, Gujarat, on May 14.
Why is Captagon called the ‘Jihadi Drug’?
The terminology emerged because the stimulant effects of the drug allegedly enabled users to remain awake for extended periods, suppress fear and exhaustion, increase aggression and risk-taking behaviour, and sustain prolonged combat-like activity under stressful conditions.
However, according to a report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), "the use of stimulant drugs, especially amphetamine, by military personnel or combatants in conflicts has a long history. Furthermore, money from drug trafficking may sometimes be a source of income for some insurgent or terrorist groups. Some terrorist perpetrators in Europe have also been found to have a background that includes involvement in petty crime and drug use or drug dealing. However, the links between drug use and terrorism are difficult to identify in existing data sources and, when they exist, they often appear to be indirect."
What is Captagon?
Captagon was the brand name of a psychoactive medicine produced in the 1960s by the German company Degussa Pharma Gruppe.
The round, whitish tablets were prescribed mainly as a treatment for attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy, and as a central nervous system stimulant. Its two main markets were Europe and the Middle East. Captagon tablets contained 50 milligrams of fenetylline, a synthetic drug of the phenethylamine chemical family to which amphetamine also belongs.
According to academic reports, fenetylline is synthesised from amphetamine and theophylline—a natural alkaloid, bronchodilator, and mild stimulant from the same family as caffeine.
In 1986, fenetylline was included in Schedule II of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971, and signatory countries moved to control its production and use. However, by 2013, France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands had discontinued the use of fenetylline for medical purposes.
With respect to production, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has reported that no country has manufactured fenetylline since 2009 and ‘by the end of 2009, stocks of fenetylline had been virtually depleted’.
According to another report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), "the production of captagon tablets requires the chemical synthesis of amphetamine, followed by the manufacture of the tablets (tableting). These two phases may take place in the same facility but may also be carried out in different locations, or even different countries, and sometimes by separate groups."
How did Captagon become linked to the Middle East?
Since 2014, illicit Captagon seizures have been increasing in a number of Middle Eastern countries—particularly in Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. Tens of millions of tablets, most of which were identified as ‘captagon’, were also seized between 2010 and 2014 in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, a study showed.
Today, various militias in the Middle East and North Africa involved in smuggling enjoy powerful political patrons who help block law enforcement efforts. Members of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's inner circle were directly involved in the Captagon trade. Reports point out that when the civil war crippled the country's chemical industry, a large number of chemists were roped in to make the drug illegally.
It thrived under the protection of the army and reached as far as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. When the Assad regime fell, many drug labs were exposed—revealing government-sanctioned, industrial-scale production of the substance.
"The production of Captagon is increasing in Lebanon and it is even more widely produced in Syria, where it is smuggled and taxed by ISIS for revenue. ISIS fighters are also alleged to consume Captagon to increase their fighting prowess and brutality (echoing amphetamine-fueled violence by West African fighters in the 1990s). Drug trafficking has funded terrorists and militias in Libya, most notably Mokthar Belmokthar’s terrorist group," a 2016 report by Brookings read.
The recent seizure in India has also highlighted the continuing connection between Captagon trafficking networks and the Middle East, with preliminary investigations suggesting the recovered consignment was intended for export to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
On expected lines, various pro-Iranian paramilitary in the region including Hezbollah looks at drug trafficking as a means to raise funds. Tehran does not necessarily encourage drug trafficking by Iranian-backed militia groups but the proxies never really gave up on the illicit networks.
