What is the ‘jihadi drug’ that India has seized for the first time?

May 17, 2026 | 17:45 IST

(Images: ANI)

The NCB’s Rs 182 crore Captagon bust has exposed India’s first known link to a narcotics trade tied to Syria, Gulf smuggling routes and organised crime networks. But what exactly is Captagon, and why is it called the “jihadi drug”?

It began as a pharmaceutical drug prescribed for attention disorders decades ago. It later vanished from legal markets, only to re-emerge through clandestine laboratories, conflict zones and smuggling networks across West Asia.

TOI

TOI

What is the ‘jihadi drug’ that India has seized for the first time?

The NCB’s Rs 182 crore Captagon bust has exposed India’s first known link to a narcotics trade tied to Syria, Gulf smuggling routes and organised crime networks. But what exactly is Captagon, and why is it called the “jihadi drug”?

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TOI

What is the ‘jihadi drug’ that India has seized for the first time?

The NCB’s Rs 182 crore Captagon bust has exposed India’s first known link to a narcotics trade tied to Syria, Gulf smuggling routes and organised crime networks. But what exactly is Captagon, and why is it called the “jihadi drug”?

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