Drug sleuths seize Captagon worth ₹182 crore headed to West Asia, first-ever capture says Amit Shah

As a part of Operation RAGEPILL, government recently busted a drug trafficking racket and seized Jihadi Drug ‘Captagon’ worth ₹182 crore. This marks the first ever confiscation of Captagon, an illicitly produced drug fenethylline family, as per Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The seized item is worth nearly 182 crore. A foreign national has been arrested in the case who was a part of the drug consignment bound for West Asia.

According to Union Home Minister's statement, the drug traffickers were using Indian territory as the transit route, but Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) timely identified and traced the location of the criminal activity. Commending NCB's vigilance, Amit Shah's in a post on X stated, “Modi govt is resolved for a ‘Drug-Free India’. Glad to share that through ‘Operation RAGEPILL’, our agencies have achieved the first-ever seizure of Captagon, the so-called “Jihadi Drug”, worth ₹182 crore.”

He added, “The busting of the drug consignment destined for the Middle East and the arrest of a foreign national stand out as shining examples of our commitment to zero tolerance against drugs. I repeat we will clamp down on every gram of drugs entering India or leaving the country using our territory as the transit route. Kudos to the brave and vigilant warriors of the NCB.”

What is Captagon?

Captagon is the common street name historically associated with Fenethylline, a synthetic stimulant drug originally developed in the 1960s for medical treatment of attention disorders and narcolepsy. Owing to its addictive properties and abuse potential, the original pharmaceutical formulation was eventually prohibited internationally.

Most illicit Captagon tablets circulating in illegal drug markets are clandestinely manufactured and typically contain combinations of amphetamine, caffeine, methamphetamine, and other synthetic stimulants.

The drug is widely abused in parts of the Middle East and West Asia for its stimulant and euphoric effects. Captagon consumption is known to produce heightened alertness and energy, suppression of hunger and fatigue, temporary euphoria, prolonged wakefulness, increased confidence and aggression, impaired judgment and impulsive behaviour, and psychological dependence upon repeated use.

Captagon has frequently been referred to as the "Jihadi Drug" due to repeated allegations and intelligence inputs over the years linking its abuse and trafficking with extremist and conflict-zone networks operating in parts of West Asia.

The terminology emerged because the stimulant effects of the drug allegedly enabled users to remain awake for extended periods, suppress fear and exhaustion, increase aggression and risk-taking behaviour, and sustain prolonged combat-like activity under stressful conditions.

Various international investigations and conflict-zone recoveries over the past decade indicated that Captagon tablets were found among armed groups and trafficking syndicates operating in war-affected regions. The enormous profits generated from Captagon trafficking have also reportedly become a significant source of illicit financing for organised criminal and extremist-linked networks in certain regions.

Due to its comparatively low production cost and extremely high illicit demand, Captagon is also referred to in some regions as the "Poor Man's Cocaine."

International agencies have identified the Captagon trade as one of the most significant emerging synthetic drug threats in the Middle East, involving clandestine laboratories, precursor chemical diversion, hawala financing, forged trade documentation, maritime trafficking routes, courier networks, and sophisticated concealment mechanisms.

(With inputs from ANI)