Bill > HRes836

This Resolution urges the United States Government to bolster the Middle East's ability to combat the illegal manufacturing and movement of captagon, a type of stimulant drug, and the chemicals used to make it. It highlights that captagon production and trafficking have become a large-scale illicit trade in the region, with significant involvement from the Assad regime in Syria and groups like Hezbollah and Iran-aligned militias, who use the profits to fund their activities. The Resolution notes that captagon has been linked to terrorist groups, including Hamas, and that its illicit trade is a major revenue source for the Assad regime, estimated to be worth billions of dollars. It points out that countries in the region are struggling to intercept these drugs and that production hubs in Syria and Lebanon threaten the security of U.S. allies. The Resolution calls for the U.S. to condemn the use of captagon by militant groups, provide assistance and training to disrupt smuggling operations, build upon existing strategies to counter drug production and trafficking linked to the Syrian regime, and establish an interagency task force. It also recommends encouraging regional partners to cooperate through information sharing, intelligence on drug analysis, and developing port security, as well as creating an early warning system for seized captagon. Finally, the Resolution emphasizes the need for the U.S. to raise awareness of the captagon threat in international forums, promote global cooperation, support affected countries, and hold those involved accountable.