US sanctions target 11 individuals and entities supporting Assad regime with drug trafficking
U.S. Department of the Treasury announced in a statement that it imposed sanctions on 1111 individuals and entities supporting Assad regime by drug trafficking and financial transfers.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said in the statement: “The sanctions included Taher al-Kayali the owner of a ship that was carrying more than $100 million of Captagon and Hashish which was intercepted by the Greek authorities in 2018.”
The statement added: “The U.S. Department of the Treasury included on the sanctions lists Mahmoud Abulilah he was convicted for smuggling drugs to Libya, Al-Dj company which provide services to Assad regime, Al-Ta’ir and FreeBird companies, Maya Exchange company, and Al-Fadel and Al-Adham Exchange companies.
The sanctions also involved “STG Logistic” company that designated for mining and signed a 50-year contract with the Assad regime in 2018.
The statement made it clear that “Syria has become a main producer and source of Captagon, amphetamine-type stimulant causing addiction, which was illegally trafficked throughout the Middle East and Europe, making vast profits for Assad regime.”
The European Union and the United States previously launched a new sanctions package on the Assad regime and its supporters at the beginning of this year as a step to cracking down on the Assad regime’s movements.
The EU sanctions included 6 individuals and 5 entities, including an economic advisor to the Bashar al-Assad regime, 3 prominent businessmen who back the al-Assad regime and get benefit from it, and 2 individuals linked to the al-Assad family.
