Bangladesh, Jan. 8 -- Syrian authorities have announced the seizure of nearly half a million Captagon pills in a major operation targeting a drug manufacturing and smuggling network in the central city of Hama. According to Syrias state news agency SANA, security forces arrested the ringleader along with several other members of the criminal group, marking another high-profile success in the countrys expanding campaign against the illicit narcotics trade.

The operation comes amid intensified efforts by Syrias transitional government to dismantle what had become one of the worlds most entrenched drug production industries. For more than a decade, Captagon-a powerful amphetamine known for its stimulant effects-was at the center of a sprawl...