Richard's one big thing is a growing Captagon crisis in the Middle East and Syria's fall into becoming a narco state. Captagon is a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant, fenethylline and has become the center of an increasing number of drug busts across the Middle East. The vast majority of global captagon production occurs in Syria, with the Gulf region being its primary destination.

Curbing the captagon trade has become a key demand by Arab states seeking to restore ties with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, whose government is accused of benefiting from the trade.

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