ERBIL — Italian police said on Wednesday it had seized a large shipment of amphetamine captagon from a ship which they believe is linked to the Islamic State (IS) and was en route to supply the black markets in Europe.
"We know that [Daesh] finances its terrorist activities mainly by trafficking drugs made in Syria, which in the past few years has become the world's largest producer of amphetamines,” CBS News cited the Italian police.
Authorities noted that the amphetamines in question came in the form of tablets of captagon - a drug commonly used by Daesh because it gives the user delusions of grandeur that inhibits fear and pain, as reported by Sputnik.
These effects of the drug and its popularity among the IS jihadists is the reason that captagon is often referred to as the “Jihad drug”.
According to Italy’s Guardia di Finanza military police force, an estimated 84 million tablets were seized after authorities became suspicious of three containers that were expected to arrive at the Italian port of Salerno, around 32 miles south of Naples. The drugs are estimated to be worth some $1.12 billion.