Syrian forces arrest cousin of former president in Latakia

Shafaq News –Latakia

Syria’s security forces arrested Nomair al-Assad, a cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the countryside of Latakia, state-run SANA news agency reported on Thursday.

Citing a source in the Interior Ministry, SANA said that internal security forces managed to arrest al-Assad “along with several members of a criminal gang” during an operation in the city of Qardaha, in rural Latakia.

The source described Nomair al-Assad as “one of the most prominent drug traffickers involved in several crimes during the former regime.”

While investigative reports have linked figures close to the former regime to the drug trade, including Captagon, the al-Assad government has consistently denied any official involvement.

Read more: Captagon Empire: How Syria fuels a $2B regional drug trade