The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 11 individuals and entities supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad through the facilitation of illicit financial transfers and trafficking of illegal drugs, as well as the extraction and export of Syrian commodities, including the drug of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant trafficked illegally throughout the Middle East and Europe, referring to three shipments seized in Libya coming from Syria.
The US Treasury cited the name Mahmoud Abulilah Al-Dj as being responsible for leading the operations behind multiple Captagon shipments, including the Noka shipment seized by Greek authorities and three shipments that were seized in Libya.
“Al-Dj also serves as the exclusive agent for designated Syrian airline Cham Wings in Libya. Al-Dj used his Syria-based company Al-Ta’ir Company (Al-Ta’ir) to receive cargo tied to Captagon shipments and open a major smuggling line linking Lattakia to Benghazi, which has resulted in huge profits for Captagon traffickers.” The Treasury’s statement said.
It added that Al-Dj registered an additional company, FreeBird Travel and Tourism, after he was convicted for drug smuggling in Libya and Al-Ta’ir became subject to legal prosecution for human trafficking and drug smuggling.
