by Besim Likmeta

Originally, Captagon was the main brand name for a medicinal product containing fenethylline as its active ingredient. It was sold as white tablets marked with a logo of two half-moons. It was mainly prescribed as a treatment for attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy and as a central nervous system stimulant. Its two main markets were Europe and the Middle East.  Captagon tablets contained 50 milligrams of fenethylline, a synthetic drug of the phenethylamine family to which amphetamine also belongs. 

In the 1980s it was listed as a controlled substance and banned. Until the end of the 1990s the diversion of remaining fenethylline stocks initially allowed traffickers from eastern Europe, especially Bulgaria, to supply emerging markets for stimulants in the Middle East with tablets containing fenethylline. However, as stocks of the medicine became exhausted and control measures intensified, gradually other substances have been introduced into tablets sold as captagon.

All the information available suggests that the tablets seized on the drug market in recent years are not diverted Captagon tablets but clandestinely manufactured tablets that are marked with a similar logo but do not contain fenethylline. However, the information available suggests that amphetamine and often caffeine are the psychoactive substances most likely to be present, although the tablet content varies highly.

Captagon tablets seized in the Middle East contain mainly amphetamine. The information available from the Middle East indicates that there are similarities with European production methods and that some European organised crime groups are involved in amphetamine production in that region. 

The production of illicit synthetic drugs sold in tablet form, such as captagon, may be broken down into two distinct parts: chemical synthesis of the active ingredient (here amphetamine), followed by the manufacture of tablets or tableting (here captagon). These two phases may take place in the same facility but may also often be carried out in different locations, or even different countries, and sometimes by separate groups.

Large organised crime groups specialising in synthetic drug production in Europe may manufacture the tablets themselves; however, it also appears common for amphetamine to be supplied ‘in bulk’ to third parties that will assume the responsibility for adding the necessary cutting agents and excipients, and pressing the tablets. Some evidence suggests that this may also be occurring in the Middle East and especially in Lebanon. 

Geographical separation of the different production phases may be used to reduce the risks of detection. Alternatively, it may reflect the fact that these two production phases require different chemicals, equipment and technical skills. Compared with synthesis of the active ingredient, tableting is the less technically demanding activity, and the necessary equipment (pill presses) and chemicals (cutting agents and excipients) are easier to access.

This separation in roles also has  important consequences. In particular, it may help explain the diversity seen in the content of seized illicit captagon tablets.The decentralisation of production makes it more challenging for law enforcement authorities to target the supply of this product effectively. It also may make involvement in captagon tableting and distribution an attractive option for generating income for armed groups, based in or near countries experiencing social or political conflicts, that lack the technical expertise and infrastructure necessary for synthetic drug production.

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