German authorities have seized a large quantity of captagon, a synthetic stimulant drug, in the city of Essen. The drugs were found in a garage complex near the A4 motorway at the city of Aachen. Four Syrian suspects were arrested, including one man who is a resident of Vienna. The suspects are between the ages of 33 and 45.
According to German media reports, the authorities estimate the quantity of captagon seized at 300 kilograms, or about 3.2 million tablets. The street value of the drugs is estimated at around 60 million euros.
The head of the investigation said that the smugglers hid the tablets among 16 tons of sand. They placed bags of captagon inside bags of sand and covered them with a layer of sand, making it impossible to see the tablets by looking at the bags or touching them.
Captagon is produced primarily in illegal factories in Syria and Lebanon. It is smuggled to the Arab world, often by land or sea to Europe. The drugs are then repacked using camouflaged goods in containers and sent back to the Arab world by ship or air. Syria is suspected of being involved in these operations.
The German public prosecutor’s office is currently investigating the case. They believe that this operation may be linked to other operations involving Syrian suspects.
