The US House of Representatives has passed the “Captagon 2” resolution with overwhelming support, aiming to empower the US government with new and expanded authority to hold the Syrian regime and its affiliates accountable for their involvement in the Captagon drug trade.
The bill, which received substantial bipartisan support with a vote of 410 to 13, seeks to sanction Bashar al-Assad’s regime, its associated networks, and individuals involved in the trafficking, manufacturing, and smuggling of Captagon drugs, regardless of their nationality.
This legislation was propelled to Congress through the dedicated efforts of Syrian-American community organizations, including the American Coalition for Syria and the Syrian American Council. Their advocacy began several years ago and led to the successful adoption of the “Anti-Captagon 1 Act” at the end of 2022.
Republican Senator and head of the Syria Caucus in Congress, French Hill, commented on the resolution, stating, “The murderous Assad regime is supported by Captagon, which generates billions in illegal revenue.”
In a statement on his X account, Senator Hill emphasized the necessity of the bill: “We need to impose specific sanctions that directly target individuals and networks involved in the Captagon trade. It is crucial for this reason that the House of Representatives today approves my bill, the Captagon Illicit Trade Suppression Act.”
Earlier in February, the House also passed the “Anti-Normalization with the Bashar al-Assad Regime” bill, which received wide-ranging bipartisan support.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
