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Ammon News - The United States announced that it had designated 11 individuals and entities supporting the Assad regime in Syria by facilitating illicit financial transfers and trafficking of illegal drugs. It also imposed sanctions on entities that are helping the Assad regime reap millions from the mining sector.

Under Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, Syria has become the leading producer and exporter of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant trafficked throughout the Middle East and Europe. The Assad regime derives significant revenue from the illicit Captagon trade and also from the export of commodities mined and exported from Syria with the help of foreign entities. The regime also relies on Syrian money service businesses to circumvent sanctions and execute financial transfers on its behalf, according to a statement by the US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The illicit profits from these activities sustain the Assad regime’s repression of Syrians and also undermine stability, security, and public health in the wider region. The United States will continue to use its tools to counter the regime’s illicit financial activity and combat the trafficking of Captagon and other synthetic drug threats, the statement added.

The Department of the Treasury’s designations were taken pursuant to the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (“Caesar Act”), which includes secondary sanctions for anyone found to knowingly provide significant support to the Government of Syria, and Executive Order 13582 of August 17, 2011, “Blocking Property of the Government of Syria and Prohibiting Certain Actions With Respect to Syria.”