IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 836 
Urging the United States Government to enhance the Middle East region’s 
capacity to dismantle and disrupt the illicit production and trafficking 
of the amphetamine-type stimulant also known as captagon, including 
the production of precursor chemicals. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 1, 2023 
Mr. MOSKOWITZ (for himself and Mr. MILLS) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Urging the United States Government to enhance the Middle 
East region’s capacity to dismantle and disrupt the illicit 
production and trafficking of the amphetamine-type stim-
ulant also known as captagon, including the production 
of precursor chemicals. 
Whereas the market for the amphetamine-type stimulant 
‘‘captagon’’ has grown into an industrial-scale illicit trade 
in the Mediterranean-Gulf zone over the last 5 years; 
Whereas elements of the Assad regime are key drivers of il-
licit trafficking in captagon, with ministerial-level com-
plicity in production and smuggling, empowering a broad 
range of criminal networks, militant groups, mafia syn-
dicates, and autocratic governments; 
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•HRES 836 IH 
Whereas the illicit captagon trade has provided alternative 
revenue sources for malign actors, such as the Assad re-
gime, Hezbollah, and Iran-aligned militias; 
Whereas Hamas terrorists who carried out a surprise attack 
in Israel on October 7th, 2023, were reported to be under 
the influence of captagon; 
Whereas captagon pills were recovered from pockets of 
Hamas terrorists who were killed by Israeli Defense 
Forces; 
Whereas the illicit production and trafficking of captagon is 
a key source of revenue for the Assad regime and its 
enablers, estimated to be worth over $10,000,000,000; 
Whereas transit and destination countries of captagon cur-
rently struggle with interdiction efforts; 
Whereas illicit captagon trafficking nodes and production 
hubs in Syria and Lebanon threaten border security of 
United States partners and allies; 
Whereas United States regional partners such as Saudi Ara-
bia, Jordan, and Iraq are seizing more captagon pills in 
recent years; 
Whereas the Middle East region requires greater inter-
regional and intraregional coordination to counter the 
proliferation of captagon; 
Whereas there is an absence of any formal or effective re-
gional mechanism or platform to facilitate intelligence 
sharing or otherwise enable collaboration to counter, dis-
mantle, and disrupt the illicit captagon trade; and 
Whereas the United States should help foster increased re-
gional cooperation to counter narcotics measures, particu-
larly the illicit captagon trade: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 836 IH 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the illicit production and trafficking of 
captagon is a rapidly growing problem in the Middle 
East, with direct involvement of the Assad regime, 
and Hezbollah; 
(2) the United States shall openly condemn the 
use of captagon to enhance militant capabilities in 
the slaughter 1,400 innocent men, women, children, 
and elderly in Israel on October 7th, 2023; 
(3) the United States should seek to improve 
assistance and training to detect, deter, and disrupt 
Hezbollah and Fourth Division-facilitated captagon 
smuggling operations, as well as broader counter-
narcotics efforts; 
(4) the United States should build on its report 
to Congress on a ‘‘Written Strategy to Disrupt and 
Dismantle Narcotics Production and Trafficking and 
Affiliated Networks Linked to the Regime of Bashar 
al-Assad in Syria Sec. 1238(c) of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, P.L. 
117–263’’, and establish an interagency counter- 
captagon task force, encouraging regional partners 
to undertake cooperative law enforcement measures 
that enhance interdiction efforts against illicit 
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•HRES 836 IH 
captagon trafficking through informational ex-
change, forensic profiling, shared intelligence on 
captagon chemical laboratory analyses, port control 
unit capacity development, and monitoring precursor 
supply flows; 
(5) the United States should seek to establish 
an early warning system for seized captagon shared 
amongst key regional partners for improved identi-
fication and reporting; and 
(6) the United States should highlight the 
growing threat posed by the illicit captagon trade to 
include the direct involvement of the Assad regime 
and Iran-backed proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah, 
in international fora, and encourage broader inter-
national coordination, support for afflicted countries, 
and accountability for implicated actors. 
Æ 
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