BEIRUT, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The equipment of a major factory producing Captagon pills in eastern Lebanon's town of Al-Yamouneh has been dismantled, the Lebanese army said Monday in a statement.
Apart from the equipment weighing some 10 tons, the army also "seized a large quantity of Captagon pills, crystal meth, and various other narcotic substances" in the operation on Sunday, it said.
"The army also brought in a bulldozer to seal off a tunnel approximately 300 meters long, which was used for entering and exiting the factory and for storing part of its equipment," it said, adding that "efforts are ongoing to arrest those involved."
Captagon, the trademark name for the synthetic stimulant fenethylline, was first produced in the 1960s to treat hyperactivity, narcolepsy and depression, but was banned in most countries in the 1980s as too addictive.
The drug remains popular in the Middle East, and is cheap and simple to make. ■
