Following SIRAJ Investigation Exposing Captagon Supply Chains, EU Moves to Tighten Controls on Chemical Precursors
The European Union is moving to strengthen oversight of chemicals that can be used to manufacture illicit drugs, renewing attention to vulnerabilities in international supply chains previously exposed by an investigation published by the Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism (SIRAJ), in collaboration with Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) and Daraj, in August 2025.
The investigation traced the movement of chemicals from international markets to Captagon production facilities linked to the Fourth Division of the Syrian military under former President Bashar al-Assad.
The Council of the European Union announced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, that it had agreed on a negotiating position for new regulations aimed at strengthening the monitoring of chemical precursors used in illicit drug production, harmonizing oversight procedures across EU member states, and closing regulatory loopholes that organized criminal networks could exploit.
The proposal includes establishing a more integrated digital system to monitor imports of regulated chemicals and linking it to the EU’s customs data infrastructure. This would facilitate information sharing and enable authorities to report seizures more quickly.
The proposed rules would also require companies based outside the EU that wish to place regulated chemicals on the European market to appoint a responsible representative within the bloc to oversee licensing procedures and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.
The proposal places particular emphasis on so-called “designer precursors,” chemicals used in illicit drug manufacturing that present distinct regulatory challenges compared with substances that have legitimate industrial or medical applications.
Under the proposed framework, these substances would face strict restrictions, potentially including bans on their sale, use, and possession, subject to limited exceptions.
SIRAJ Investigation: Chemicals Crossed Borders Under Commercial Documentation
The development comes more than a year after the publication of “Medicine on Paper: Uncovering a Secret Supply Chain That Fueled Maher al-Assad’s Captagon Factories in Syria,” an investigation produced by SIRAJ in collaboration with ARIJ and Daraj.
Published on August 16, 2025, the investigation uncovered international supply routes through which chemicals reached clandestine Captagon production facilities in Syria during the Assad regime.
Commercial records and official documents revealed a supply chain that appeared legitimate on paper, involving shipping and import companies as well as government authorizations. However, investigators later discovered barrels containing the chemical substance inside a secret Captagon manufacturing facility in the Damascus countryside, which had been under the control of the Fourth Division, commanded by Maher al-Assad.
The investigation also documented the presence of ten imported chemical substances originating from countries including Germany, China, India, Malaysia, Poland, and the United Kingdom at facilities linked to Captagon production.
The findings highlighted how seemingly legitimate international trade channels and regulatory procedures could be exploited to supply illicit drug manufacturing operations.
Read SIRAJ’s investigation:
For more information on the EU’s announcement:
Council of the European Union – Press Release, November 4, 2026
