Document reveals Assad family’s secret Syria to Moscow smuggling
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A confidential document, recently obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), uncovered an extensive money-smuggling operation, Asharq Al-Awsat reported on January 8th.
Described as one of the most corrupt financial transfers orchestrated by the now-defunct Syrian regime, the operation relied on a network of illicit activities, primarily funded through the production and trade of Captagon, a highly profitable illegal drug.
The document reveals that the most recent transfer of funds occurred just days before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow in December 2024.
SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, said the document highlights the deep involvement of the former Syrian regime in illegal financial transactions. He suggested that further investigations could expose a vast network used to funnel significant sums of money from Syria to Russia and other countries, disguised as official operations.
Abdel Rahman explained that the regime, led by the ousted Assad and his brother, heavily invested in drug-related ventures, with Captagon playing a central role. A key route involved a small port near the Afamia chalets on Syria’s coast, once owned by Rifaat al-Assad, the brother of late President Hafez al-Assad. Smugglers sent shipments of the drug via Italian ports, where they were distributed globally by collaborating traders.
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An anonymous Syrian source in Russia, closely monitoring the regime’s activities, confirmed that while the leaked information was not entirely new, its official release bolsters previous claims of money-smuggling operations.
“Western media had previously reported on the regime’s money-smuggling operations, which led to some loyalists being added to international sanctions lists, particularly regime-linked businessmen like Mudalal Khouri,” the source said.
The leaked document further revealed that Syrian Airlines flights were used to transport large amounts of hard currency, mostly US dollars and €500 euro notes, to Moscow. The money was delivered directly from Moscow’s airport to the Syrian regime’s embassy, where it was distributed to loyalist businessmen. These funds were then invested in Russian and Belarusian banks, commercial properties, and real estate.
The operation was reportedly overseen by Mohammed Makhlouf, the maternal uncle of Bashar al-Assad.
Asharq Al-Awsat.
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