In Lebanon and Iraq, the largest Captagon factory in the Middle East has been shut down

In Lebanon and Iraq, the largest Captagon factory in the Middle East has been shut down

Iraqi and Lebanese authorities say they have shut down what they described as the Middle East’s largest Captagon factory, a major blow against the region’s booming trade in the amphetamine-like drug.

Iraqi officials said intelligence they shared with Lebanon’s State Security led to last month’s raid in the Beqaa Valley, where large quantities of pills were seized.

The Interior Ministry did not specify whether arrests were made. The bust comes as Lebanon intensifies its war on drug traffickers; earlier this month, its army killed three of the country’s most notorious smugglers, including a man long seen as one of the region’s top Captagon producers and trafficker.