Syrian security forces seized 280 kilograms of hashish and 28,000 Captagon pills from smugglers trying to move the drugs from Lebanon, after an armed clash in the border town of Serghaya on Friday, 6 November.

Syria's state news agency SANA said the Syrian Border Guard Forces thwarted the smuggling attempt in Serghaya, in the Damascus countryside. The smugglers opened fire on the border guards, who returned fire, prompting the gunmen to flee towards Lebanese territory.

"The operation resulted in the seizure of 280 kilograms of hashish and 28,000 Captagon pills, with the seized items referred to the competent authorities to complete legal procedures," SANA said.

The seizure is the latest in a series of drug busts along the Lebanese-Syrian border. Last week, customs officials at the Jisr Qamar crossing thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics hidden inside a speaker. In early October, authorities seized more than half a million Captagon pills said to be coming from Lebanon at the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing, SANA said.

Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine-like drug that was produced on a mass scale during Syria's civil war, which broke out in 2011. Production and trade became a vital source of funding for former president Bashar al-Assad's government.

Since Assad's downfall in December 2024, Syria's authorities have been cracking down on the multibillion-dollar illegal drugs network, shutting down manufacturing sites and increasing cross-border cooperation with neighbouring countries. Despite the efforts, the Lebanese-Syrian border remains extremely porous, and smuggling of people, goods and narcotics continues.

[Source: world.einnews.com](https://world.einnews.com/article/955291116?lcf=0iORgyW0Tv0AUzLYQH1ILgIDZJtIWV-PkgUSuTa6fYw%3D) | [Source: en.hathalyoum.net](https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/305207)