Sudan transforms into industrial-scale Captagon hub as war fuels drug trade
March 5, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan has rapidly transitioned from a transit corridor into a primary manufacturing hub for the synthetic drug Captagon, with production escalating to an industrial scale since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023.
A report by the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker (STPT) released in March 2026 reveals that the collapse of Syria’s state-sponsored drug industry in late 2024 has displaced narco-networks toward Sudan’s conflict-affected environment. The country’s fragmented authority, weakened border controls, and strategic maritime access have created permissive conditions for this shift.
Seizure data indicate a dramatic expansion in manufacturing capacity. In June 2023, authorities discovered a facility capable of producing 7,200 pills per hour. By February 2025, the General Intelligence Service (GIS) seized an industrial-scale laboratory in the Al Jaili area, near the Khartoum Oil Refinery, equipped to manufacture 100,000 pills per hour. This facility contained enough raw ingredients to produce 700 million tablets.
The STPT report identifies narcotics as a burgeoning structural component of the war economy, providing scalable, high-margin revenue for armed actors. While the report notes that available evidence does not establish centralized institutional direction by the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), it highlights that drug trafficking and manufacturing have expanded significantly in RSF-controlled zones amid the collapse of judicial oversight.
In Darfur, cities such as Nyala and Al-Daein have reportedly become major hubs where drugs and weapons are traded openly. Al Radom National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Darfur currently under RSF control, remains the primary cultivation area for bango, a local cannabis-based narcotic. Opportunistic alliances between traders and local militias have reportedly doubled the park’s production areas since the war began.
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have also been linked to these illicit economies through the mobilization of various militias. The report details how the SAF has incorporated groups with pre-war records of transnational crime, such as the Awlad Gumri and the Sudan Shield Forces (SSF). One high-ranking SSF officer, Brigadier General Bashir Abdalla Haimoor, is known locally as the “King of Ice” due to his alleged involvement in crystal methamphetamine trafficking.
Beyond financing the conflict, Captagon use is reportedly prevalent among combatants on both sides. Fighters use the stimulant to suppress hunger, maintain alertness, and reduce fear in battle. The report warns that this drug use may contribute to increased brutality and human rights violations during the war.
The surge in drug activity is not limited to Captagon and bango. In Red Sea State, major interdictions have occurred near Port Sudan, including a January 2026 seizure of nearly half a ton of crystal meth. Authorities believe the Red Sea is emerging as a major entry point for crystal meth into the country.
Sudan’s state drug control mechanisms have largely been decimated by the hostilities. Anti-narcotics police have disappeared from RSF-controlled areas, while specialized addiction treatment centres and psychiatric hospitals across the country have been forced to close.
STPT recommends that regional and international partners prioritize the disruption of drug-linked revenue flows through targeted sanctions and enhanced maritime surveillance along the Red Sea coastline to prevent Sudan from consolidating its role as a regional narco-hub.