A cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad has been detained in Syria. This was reported on Saturday by the state-run SANA news agency. The report was confirmed by the Interior Ministry.
The agency said in a statement that Wasim Assad “is considered one of the most notorious drug traffickers in Syria and was involved in the crimes of the old government.” SANA sources said he was detained near the border with Lebanon. There has been no official word on exactly what charges the relative of Bashar al-Assad has been charged with.
Wasim Assad was added to the US and EU sanctions lists in 2023. He was allegedly responsible for smuggling drugs, particularly Captagon, as well as leading paramilitary groups of Bashar al-Assad supporters.
Bashar al-Assad himself fled to Moscow last December, where he was granted asylum. His opponents came to power in Syria, with Islamist rebels playing a key role in the overthrow. The closest relatives and cronies of Assad, whom the new authorities accuse of numerous crimes, fled the country.