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conflict itself. As the Syrian state has re-consolidated control over much of the country since 2018, narcotics trafficking in Syria has become more expansive and widespread. In parallel, the decimation of conventional economic activities has increased the relative attractiveness of industrial-scale drug profiteering, which has been largely captured and controlled by narco-entrepreneurs linked to the regime of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's foreign allies. Ironically, the armed group commonly thought to be most closely associated with the Captagon trade — Islamic State — is, in fact, among the few conflict actors that has had no demonstrable institutional connection to the trade of this drug. This association has persisted in large part because of sensational foreign media coverage. the narcotics trade was decisively reconfigured to the advantage of pro-Government forces. Increasingly prominent in this period are narco-entrepreneurs affiliated with the Assad regime. Record-setting foreign drug interceptions since 2018 evince the evolution of Syria's drug industry, with exports of Captagon and hashish suggesting new levels of mass production.
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Whereas attention has been lavished on drug use among combatants, little attention has been paid to the societal and individual costs of the pervasive spread of narcotics during the conflict. Even more neglected are the structural dynamics of drug trafficking and their impact on the trajectory of the
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Zaiter allegedly has strong ties with
Hezbollah and is known to work under the umbrella of the group. He is believed to be directly involved in financing the group through illegal activities such as drug trade, prostitution, and extortion. On 28 March 2023, the U.S. Treasury, in collaboration with
164:, a dangerous amphetamine. The trade in Captagon is described as a billion-dollar illicit enterprise, with Lebanese drug traffickers, some with ties to Hezbollah and the Assad regime, playing a significant role in facilitating its export. Fenethylline is a popular drug in
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Zaiter's drug clan frequently clash with the
Lebanese Army and a rival clan, al-Jaafar, in the Beqaa Valey. The Zaiter and Al Jaafar clans have been associated with criminal activities in the Al Sharawneh neighborhood, where they exert control.
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In May 2021, Hussein Zaiter, Nouh's nephew, was implicated in smuggling drugs to Kuwait and was sentenced to 90 years in prison. In July 2022, his son was arrested while working in
Keserwan.
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Zaiter is currently married to Samira
Hussein Al-Hajj. In social media Nouh Zaiter portrays himself as a Muslim and a charitable man however a number of cases of abuse have surfaced
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the UK, imposed sanctions on Syrian and
Lebanese individuals, including Zaiter, suspected of involvement in the production and export of
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that has been financing
Captagon production and sponsoring networks of its drug dealers in coordination with the
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https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1332586/army-zeaiter-family-members-exchange-gunfire-in-bekaa.html
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263:"ANALYSIS: Hezbollah's Gangsters—Financing the Militias through Drugs, Prostitution and Extortion"
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375:"Lebanon's Drug Baron, Noah Zaiter & Samira Hussein Al-Haj Abuse and Enslave Kamaru"
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involved in drug trafficking and arms dealing in
Lebanon and the Middle East.
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where he only completed a course in
National Security. In 1991, he fled to
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From pomegranate shipment in Saudi Arabia to Nouh Zaiter’s nephew in Kuwait
338:"The Syrian Economy at War: Captagon, Hashish, and the Syrian Narco-State"
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176:. Later research demonstrated that it was the Syrian government of
288:"US sanctions Syrian and Hezbollah suspects over Captagon trade"
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412:"Noah Zaiter's Son Was Just Arrested In Keserwan, Lebanon"
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123:drug lord and a leader of an armed militia in the
135:Nouh Zaiter was born on 1977 in the village of
313:"Syria fighters may be fueled by amphetamines"
172:reported in 2015 that it is allegedly used by
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342:Center for Operational Analysis and Research
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311:Todd B, McConnell D (21 November 2015).
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219:Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon
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145:American University of Beirut (AUB)
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151:and returned to Lebanon in 1995.
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344:. 27 April 2021. Archived from
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239:"The Captagon trade and Syria"
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237:Khoury, Issam (2023-04-04).
168:, and American media outlet
397:JEAN FEGHALI (17-May-2021)
90:Captagon and Cannabis trade
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192:Personal life and family
174:militant groups in Syria
98:Samira Hussein Al-Hajj
379:thisislebanon.site/
267:The Milli Chronicle
209:Cannabis in Lebanon
182:Syrian intelligence
35:Nouh Zaiter in 2019
443:Lebanese criminals
16:Lebanese drug lord
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82:Al Qalaa brigades
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243:Issam Khoury
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166:Western Asia
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79:Organization
448:1977 births
322:22 November
149:Switzerland
125:Beqaa Valey
109:Nouh Zaiter
74:Drug dealer
53:Nationality
23:Nouh Zaiter
432:Categories
418:2024-05-26
384:2024-05-26
297:2024-05-26
273:2024-05-26
248:2024-05-26
225:References
131:Early life
71:Occupation
117:نوح زعيتر
292:Naharnet
214:Captagon
203:See also
162:Captagon
137:Taalbaya
121:Lebanese
139:in the
119:) is a
65:Lebanon
155:Career
113:Arabic
95:Spouse
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324:2015
44:1977
41:Born
317:CNN
170:CNN
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