Cops seize amphetamine tablets terror group ‘sold to the Mafia’
84 MILLION
Italian police and customs count crates. Above, Captagon pills
A RECORD €1billion haul of “highly addictive” Islamic State amphetamines has been seized in Italy.
Detectives found 84 million “speed” tablets – worth around £910million – from Syria in paper and machinery parts rolls at the port of Salerno.
Detectives from the Italian Guardia di Finanza branch of law enforcement led the Captagon tablets bust in a major blow for the terror network.
The force said in a statement the operation was “the biggest seizure of amphetamines in the world”.
Police are trying to discover if there is a Mafia link to the Captagon. The drug emerged in the 1960s as a “psycho-stimulant” to help people with narcolepsy.
ISIS is thought to have developed a new version of the drug to make its’ “jhadi junkie” fighters more aggressive, but realised selling it abroad could earn big money to fund global terror.
Pictures and video of the 14-ton cache were released by Italian police.
A security source said last night: “This
Amount in tons the haul of IS-made Captagon amphetamines weighed is a big blow to Islamic State who are trying to expand their war chest.
“It also smashes what might have been a major link in their network internationally. Hopefully long-term it will be more difficult for them to sell their drugs.
“They have been developing the ability to mass produce this type of pill for some time, firstly to keep their fighters on the front line for longer. This raid is a worry because it shows IS is making inroads with major crime networks.”