Syrian Intelligence “Black Gold Ambush” Snags Captagon Kingpin Waseem al-Assad
A fake double-agent ruse exploiting buried treasure leads to the dramatic arrest of Bashar al-Assad’s cousin.
Watan-An Arabic magazine has revealed the intricate intelligence operation carried out by Syrian security services that resulted in the arrest of Waseem Badiʿ al-Assad—cousin of deposed President Bashar al-Assad and a leading financier of smuggling and drug networks under the previous regime.
According to the report, Waseem al-Assad—internationally designated as a major Captagon kingpin—was lured from his hideout in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, into Syria through a carefully crafted plan dubbed “Black Gold Ambush.”
The operation began in February, when Syrian intelligence confirmed al-Assad’s presence in Lebanon, sheltered by a network of former-regime loyalists, including smugglers linked to Hezbollah. Despite living abroad, al-Assad was eager to return to Syria to recover cash and gold bars he had buried on an abandoned farm in Wadi al-Arida on the Syrian-Lebanese border during his escape in late 2024.
“Black Gold” Sting Unmasks Assad Kin’s Downfall
Syrian Interior Ministry and intelligence officers devised a precise plan to exploit his treasure hunt. They recruited a Syrian officer to pose as a corrupt double agent, offering to forge travel documents and ensure his safety in exchange for a cut of the buried funds.
To mislead him, the services deployed fake government convoys—complete with planted GPS trackers—to convince al-Assad that high-level coordination was in place. After he crossed into Syria and headed toward the Homs-province farm near Talkalakh, security forces encircled the site and arrested him without significant resistance.
Assad Clan Immunity Shattered as Waseem Faces Sanctions and Transitional Justice Inquiry
Later images showed a weary al-Assad in a prison cell—symbolizing the end of the decades-long immunity once enjoyed by the Assad clan.
Waseem Badiʿ al-Assad has been under U.S. and EU sanctions since 2023 for running Captagon labs, coordinating smuggling operations, and funding armed groups during the war. His name also appears in multiple international probes into money laundering, antiquities trafficking, and arms smuggling.
He now faces investigation before Syria’s Transitional Justice Commission on charges including war crimes, drug trafficking, and gross human-rights violations. Sources say the operation is part of a broader campaign by Syria’s new government—formed after the prior regime’s fall—to dismantle smuggling networks and hold former perpetrators accountable.
