Private jet of Saudi prince yields 2 tonnes of amphetamine brand Captagon stashed inside suitcases, boxes

Prince Abdel Mohsen Bin Walid Bin Abdulaziz was detained on Sunday at Beirut Airport after he was caught with two tons of Captagon, a popular brand of amphetamine phenethylline. It was found in his private jet inside 40 boxes and suitcases.

Beirut airport authorities also arrested four other men. It was the biggest drug haul at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, reports The Telegraph. Besides Captagon pills, the jet also had some cocaine.

Captagon was prescribed as treatment for childhood and other behavioural disorders, but it is now more used as a stimulant in the Middle East. It gives users a heightened state of alertness, making it the favourite of front-line Syrian pro-government soldiers and jihadists of the Islamic State.

It is now made in Syria and smuggled through Lebanon for distribution to other Middle Eastern markets.

In the US, besides the brand Captagon, it is also sold under the brand names Biocapton and Fitton for 40 cents per pill, according to Broadwaymall.org. To avoid detection, the Web site says it packs the pills with tungsten and carbon paper to skip through customs x-ray machines at airports and the parcels are wrapped with gift paper from outside to make it appear are presents shipped.

The prince, according to Arabian Business, is chairman of the Al Hokair Group, and is the leader in entertainment, leisure and tourism in the kingdom. In June 2014, he was even elected president of the Saudi Lebanese Business Council.

It is not the first time that a Saudi royal was accused of drug smuggling, reports Foreign Policy. Saudi Prince Nayef bin Sultan bin Fawwaz Al Shaalan allegedly slipped into France in 1999 two tonnes of cocaine from Venezuela which he also hid inside the royal family’s private jet.

The prince evaded sentencing but was convicted in absentia in 2007. He was also indicted by the U.S. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Prince Nayef is believed to be living in Saudi Arabia under legal shelter.

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