Syria’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said the suspect was detained in the town of Nasib after intelligence-led surveillance identified his whereabouts. The operation forms part of a broader effort by the country’s interim authorities to dismantle trafficking organizations and eliminate narcotics production that expanded during the rule of former President Bashar Assad.

According to a statement carried by the state news agency SANA, security personnel confiscated 15,960 Captagon tablets, 5,560 narcotic pharmaceutical pills and a quantity of medium-caliber weapons and ammunition during the raid.

The arrest is the latest in a series of anti-drug operations launched since the change of government in December 2024. Syrian authorities have pledged to dismantle the country’s narcotics industry, which has long been associated with large-scale Captagon production and regional smuggling networks.

Last week, President Ahmad Al-Sharaa described combating narcotics as “a national program and a shared responsibility,” saying Syria had inherited a significant drug trafficking problem from the previous government. Speaking on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, he said the administration was committed to destroying production facilities, disrupting smuggling routes and expanding cooperation with regional and international partners.

The Interior and Health ministries have since launched a nationwide initiative titled “Drug-Free Syria,” combining law enforcement operations with rehabilitation and treatment programs aimed at addressing drug abuse alongside trafficking.

Brigadier General Khaled Eid, director of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said authorities have conducted 1,550 anti-drug operations since the fall of Assad’s government. According to official figures, those operations have dismantled 90 international trafficking networks and shut down 17 Captagon production facilities.

Officials said the campaign has resulted in the seizure of approximately 697 million Captagon pills, 15 metric tons of hashish, 10 million narcotic pharmaceutical tablets, 180 kilograms of cocaine, 84.5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and seven kilograms of heroin. Authorities also reported confiscating 221 metric tons of chemical precursors used in narcotics manufacturing.

The latest operation follows another major seizure earlier this week, when Syrian security forces intercepted an attempt to smuggle more than 832,000 Captagon tablets from Lebanon into the Al-Nabek district. One suspect was arrested in that operation.

Captagon, an amphetamine-type stimulant, has become one of the Middle East’s most widely trafficked illicit drugs, with Syria previously identified by international organizations as a major production hub.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has said large-scale Captagon production in Syria was significantly disrupted following the removal of Assad’s government in December 2024. However, the agency has noted that substantial drug seizures continue across the region, reflecting ongoing efforts by authorities to dismantle the remaining trafficking infrastructure and cross-border smuggling networks.

Health Ministry data showed dengue-related deaths increased from one at the end of May to 18 by the end of June, while reported infections surged more than eightfold over the same period, rising from 714 cases to 5,924.

Professor Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, said dengue cases in Dhaka were expected to at least double in July compared with June and could increase three- to fourfold by August.

Bashar warned that districts outside the capital could experience an even steeper rise in infections, with several regions facing heightened risk as the outbreak expands.

Bangladesh experienced its deadliest dengue outbreak in 2023, when more than 321,000 people were infected and 1,705 died. Official data show the country recorded 101,214 infections and 575 deaths in 2024, followed by 102,861 cases and 413 fatalities last year.

The dengue threat comes as Bangladesh is also confronting one of its most severe measles outbreaks in decades. Since mid-March, authorities have reported more than 100,000 suspected cases, over 10,000 confirmed infections and more than 700 deaths, placing additional strain on the country’s healthcare system.

Heavy rainfall, high humidity and warm temperatures have accelerated mosquito breeding, while vector-control measures have failed to keep pace with the growing public health challenge, Bashar said.

He urged the government to establish a nationwide early warning system to identify mosquito breeding sites and emerging transmission hotspots, allowing authorities to respond more rapidly and alert communities before outbreaks intensify.

“The window to contain the outbreak is narrowing,” Bashar said.

The latest figures marked an increase from 933 confirmed cases and 245 deaths reported a day earlier, according to government data.

Growing concern has centered on Kigonze camp in Bunia, the epicenter of the outbreak, where at least 30 people have died since early May. Camp officials and humanitarian workers said the death rate was unprecedented and raised fears that Ebola may be spreading rapidly among displaced populations living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Kigonze hosts more than 15,000 residents and is located in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country’s confirmed Ebola infections. Eastern Congo is home to more than five million displaced people, many of whom have fled years of armed conflict and insecurity.

Camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi told Reuters that such a concentration of deaths had never previously been recorded at the site, which normally reports only a handful of deaths each month. Residents and aid workers described victims suffering symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, including fever, headaches and vomiting.

Health officials faced additional challenges because many families initially refused testing of both living patients and deceased relatives. Aid workers said resistance to medical intervention delayed efforts to determine the exact causes of death and complicated disease surveillance.

According to camp officials and humanitarian sources, samples collected from several victims tested positive for Ebola. Footage verified by Reuters showed health teams wearing protective suits disinfecting bodies and preparing coffins while grieving relatives gathered nearby.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, although officials said infections and deaths had begun earlier in the month.

Humanitarian organizations warned that deteriorating sanitation infrastructure and funding shortfalls may be contributing to the outbreak’s severity. Several aid agencies said reductions in international support for water, sanitation and hygiene programs have left vulnerable communities more exposed to infectious diseases.

United Nations data indicate that funding for water and sanitation services in Congo fell sharply between 2024 and 2025, while this year’s humanitarian appeal remains significantly underfunded. Aid groups said projects providing clean water access, handwashing facilities and public toilets have been scaled back or discontinued in several Ebola-affected regions.

Conditions inside Kigonze camp remain particularly challenging. Families often share cramped shelters, sanitation facilities are insufficient, and overflowing latrines have become a persistent problem, according to camp representatives and aid workers.

Humanitarian agencies noted that the United States has historically been one of the largest contributors to water and sanitation programs in Congo. However, several organizations reported that U.S.-funded projects serving displaced populations in Ebola-affected provinces have been reduced following recent funding cuts.

The worsening outbreak has heightened concerns among health officials that delayed testing, population displacement and inadequate sanitation could accelerate transmission in one of the world’s most vulnerable humanitarian settings.

Nearly 600 children with suspected or confirmed measles have died since March, while hospitals across the country are struggling to cope with hundreds of new admissions each day. Medical facilities remain under severe pressure as doctors attempt to isolate infected patients and prevent further transmission.

Health experts fear large-scale population movement during the Eid holidays could accelerate the spread of the highly contagious disease, particularly in rural areas with limited access to healthcare services.

The outbreak has overwhelmed pediatric wards in several hospitals, prompting renewed calls for expanded vaccination efforts and stronger public health measures to contain the crisis.

The newly identified cases include a Ugandan driver who transported the country’s first confirmed Ebola patient and a healthcare worker who was exposed to the virus while caring for the same individual, the ministry said in a statement.

A Congolese woman was also confirmed to have contracted the disease, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed infections to five.

Health authorities did not immediately provide additional details on the conditions of the patients or whether further contacts were being monitored. The latest infections underscore the risks faced by frontline medical personnel and individuals who come into close contact with infected patients during outbreak investigations.

Uganda has previously experienced several Ebola outbreaks and has developed response mechanisms that include contact tracing, patient isolation and public health surveillance aimed at limiting transmission.

The confirmation of additional cases is likely to heighten monitoring efforts by health officials as they seek to prevent wider community spread and identify potential chains of transmission linked to the initial patient.

Ebola is a severe viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. Outbreaks require rapid detection and containment measures to prevent further spread.