Syrian authorities arrest Bashar Assad’s cousin on drug trafficking charges

A shoe hangs on a portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian authorities have arrested a cousin of former president Bashar Assad, who is under U.S. sanctions for his alleged role in drug trafficking and support to forces loyal to the ousted government, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.

The ministry did not say when or where Wassim Badi Assad was arrested. It said that he was wanted in cases of drug trafficking and other crimes before insurgents toppled the Assad family in December after a 54-year rule.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Wassim Assad in March 2023. It said Wassim Assad had publicly called for the formation of sectarian militias to support the government and was a key figure in the regional drug trafficking network, partnering with high-level suppliers to smuggle contraband, Captagon, and other drugs throughout the region.

Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 fragmented the country, crumbled the economy and created fertile ground for the production of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon. Militias, warlords and the Assad government transformed the production of the drug from a small-scale operation run by criminal groups into a billion-dollar industrial revenue stream.

Ghaith Alsayed, The Associated Press