Both Sides In The Syrian Conflict Are Using Massive Amounts Of Amphetamines

Jeff Neumann, Newsweek: Amphetamines Fuel Both Sides of the Syrian War

Lebanon has long been a playground for wealthy citizens of austere Arab countries, but even the worldly Lebanese were taken aback on October 26 when security officials arrested a 29-year-old Saudi prince, Abdel Mohsen bin Walid bin Abdel Aziz al-Saud, on suspicion of trying to take 2 tons of amphetamines with him on a private jet bound for the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Lebanese police also arrested four other Saudi men at Beirut International Airport in what the state news agency described as the biggest bust in the airport’s history.

The prince’s arrest has focused attention on Lebanon's notorious drug-trafficking networks and their ability to cross the Middle East's political and sectarian divides. Combatants in Syria’s civil war, civilians in the battle-weary region and the wealthy citizens of the Gulf countries all have a growing appetite for hard drugs. That demand has, in turn, generated fresh revenues for drug barons and militias, who, as they did in previous wars in Colombia, Afghanistan and elsewhere, have become allies of convenience in many cases.

WNU Editor: Amphetamines has been an important factor for all sides in Syria's civil war since the beginning .... How The Amphetamine Known As Captagon Is Fueling Syria's Civil War. More here .... 'Captagon' Is Now The 'Jihad Meth' Of Choice For Islamic State Fighters. The above RT video is from last year.