Security sources in Yemen say a captagon production facility has been uncovered in the Naqaa area of Saada governorate, the main stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization.
According to the report, the factory was established in a remote area under Houthi control and is part of an organized network for producing and smuggling the narcotic drug. The sources say the operation is designed to help finance Houthi military activity as international pressure grows on the group’s traditional sources of income.
The report also claims the project is being supervised by an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander known as Abu Baqer, who allegedly fled Syria before arriving in Yemen. He is said to have experience managing similar facilities abroad and is now directing production, packaging and the training of local recruits.
Smuggling is reportedly handled by traffickers from Somalia and other African countries. The network allegedly moves shipments through coastal and land routes that have already been used for arms and fuel smuggling, while some of the drugs are also distributed inside Yemen.