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The operation did not just cater to local demands; it has been implicated in the broader Middle Eastern drug trade, including lucrative markets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The pills, often concealed in fruit packaging or disguised as common items, were set for exportation. This dark trade route, combined with the harsh economic realities post-2019 in Lebanon, saw the drugs infiltrating desperate communities.
The Assad regime itself is believed to manufacture 80% of the Captagon supply, netting approximately $3 to $5 billion annually from this trade alone. This calculated involvement in the illicit drug market served dual purposes: enriching the regime while simultaneously destabilizing the population.