Methamphetamine seizures now dominate overall seizures of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the Near and Middle East/South-West Asia.

• Until 2022, ATS seizures in the subregion were dominated by amphetamine – notably “captagon” – but methamphetamine seizures have continued to rise since while amphetamine seizures declined.
• Reported seizures of amphetamine (including “captagon”) remain concentrated in the Near and Middle East, whereas while the bulk of methamphetamine seizures occur in South-West Asia, particularly the Islamic Republic of Iran where most seized methamphetamine is reported to originate from Afghanistan.
• Individual seizure data suggests that about half of what is produced in South-West Asia may have stayed within the subregion while the rest was trafficked to other destinations between 2020 and 2025, notably to South-East Europe (mainly Türkiye) and East and South-East Asia.
• The latest data suggest that methamphetamine originating in South-West Asia may have started to make inroads into the Near and Middle East, amid indications that the production of “captagon” was curtailed in parallel the change of government in the Syrian Arab Republic in December 2024. Partial data based on individual drug seizures point to likely increases in the quantities of methamphetamine seized in 2025 in almost all countries of the Near and Middle East, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.