Local leaders in southern Syria underestimated the impact of the sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain on Syrian figures involved in cooperating with the Syrian regime in the Captagon trade. They stressed that combating this phenomenon required a military force and the launching of development projects that would generate job opportunities for the residents.
In a statement on Tuesday, the US Treasury announced that it had imposed sanctions on six persons, of Syrian and Lebanese nationalities, and two companies tied with the Syrian regime and the Hezbollah militia. Among those is Imad Abu Zureik, a local leader in Daraa, who has played an important role enabling drug production and smuggling in southern Syria, according to the US Treasury.
