فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday the arrest of Wasim al-Assad, cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a carefully planned security operation carried out by the General Intelligence Directorate in cooperation with relevant Interior Ministry authorities.
According to an official statement, Wasim al-Assad is accused of producing and trafficking drugs, as well as involvement in forming armed militias over the past years. The operation successfully lured and apprehended him, with multiple criminal charges dating back to the previous regime’s era.
Wasim al-Assad is considered one of the prominent figures linked to drug smuggling networks in Syria and Lebanon. He has frequently appeared alongside the well-known Lebanese trafficker Nouh Zaiter and was notorious for publicly flaunting his wealth through photos of luxury cars and real estate properties across various regions of the country.
In addition to drug trafficking, he faces accusations of extorting traders and smuggling fuel through border crossings. He is also charged with forming an armed militia just five days before the fall of the regime, allegedly under the pretext of “defending the Syrian coast,” a stronghold of the Alawite community.
The arrest of Wasim al-Assad is viewed as a symbolic move within internal security shifts that may carry political implications related to reshaping the landscape in the post-regime phase in Syria.
