Captagon and Conflict: The impact of the Syrian war on Jordan as a drug transit country

Jordan is widely labelled as a drug transit country in the Middle East, located between drug producing countries such as Lebanon and Syria and destination countries such as Saudi Arabia. This paper examines Jordan’s status as a drug transit country in the context of the Syrian conflict, with particular reference to the smuggling of the illegal amphetamine, Captagon. Captagon production in Syria has increased substantially since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, and much of this drug is transported through Jordan. The paper asks how this increase in drug trafficking has affected Jordan? Based on fieldwork conducted in Jordan between 2017-2021, the paper argues that Captagon manufacturing during the Syrian conflict has impacted Jordan in several ways: firstly, the increased number of Captagon shipments passing through Jordan places a burden on its national security resources; levels of Captagon use and addiction within Jordanian society have increased; counter-trafficking measures (such as border closures) have negatively affected local economies in Jordan; and conflict conditions within Syria prevent international coordination in tackling Captagon trafficking. The paper concludes by considering the likelihood that Jordan might be changing from a drug transit country to a drug production or user country because of the Syrian conflict. Ultimately, the paper contributes to our knowledge about the link between violent conflict and narcotics by examining how the drugs-conflict nexus has consequences that stretch beyond the conflict zone.