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Syria's Interior Ministry announced that Wassim Badi al-Assad, cousin of ousted regime leader Bashar al-Assad and a top suspect in war crimes and large-scale drug trafficking, has been arrested during a security operation.
According to a statement by the ministry on Telegram, Wassim was captured through a joint operation carried out by the General Intelligence Directorate in coordination with Interior Ministry units.
"The General Intelligence Directorate, in collaboration with relevant Interior Ministry departments, successfully ambushed and apprehended the criminal Wassim Assad, known for committing numerous crimes during the former regime era and for being one of the most prominent drug traffickers," the statement said.
Born in 1980, Wassim is married and resides in Syria's coastal province of Tartus. For years, he has been recognized as a central figure in Syria's drug trade network.
As a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, Wassim has been included in the sanctions lists of both the US and the European Union.
He was particularly known for his role in the production and smuggling of narcotic pills, serving as a crucial figure in the financial and logistical operations of the trafficking network.
Wassim al-Assad was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 for leading a paramilitary force backing Assad's army and for trafficking drugs, including the amphetamine-like drug captagon.
The sanctions reflect international recognition of his role as one of the key figures in the regional drug trade that flourished during the Assad regime's control of Syria.
1 min read
Syria's new security forces have been pursuing members of the former administration, mainly those involved in the feared security branches accused of rights abuses.
Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Most of his family members and inner circle either fled Syria or went underground following the regime's collapse.
Rights groups have called for a fully fledged transitional justice process to hold former regime members accountable for their actions during decades of authoritarian rule.
The arrest of Wassim al-Assad represents one of the first high-profile detentions of Assad family members since the regime's fall in December.
3 min read
