Amphetamine seizures rose strongly until 2020-2021, declined thereafter and showed a modest rebound in 2024.
Amphetamine seizures remain concentrated in the Near and Middle East (57 per cent of total seizures between 2020 and 2024) and Europe (26 per cent); in the former subregion much of the drug is trafficked in the form of “captagon” tablets (typically consisting of amphetamine mixed with caffeine and other substances, often theophylline).
The largest seizures were reported by countries from the Near and Middle East – particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan – and a few adjacent countries, notably Türkiye and Egypt.
Most of the amphetamine (notably in the form of “captagon”) seizures in the Near and Middle East /South-West Asia subregion, was reported to have originated or departed from the Syrian Arab Republic (50 per cent between 2020-2024) or Lebanon (30 per cent). Although shipments transiting outside the region attracted significant media attention, they represented only a small share of amphetamine/ “captagon” trafficking to the Near and Middle East.
In Europe, trafficking remains largely intra-regional, with the main reported countries of departure being the Kingdom of the Netherlands, followed by Germany, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
