Corruption in Ba'athist Syria was pervasive and systemic, and was characterized by corruption patterns of one-party states, wherein Ba'ath party officials and Assad family loyalists extensively abused their political powers for private and sectarian gains in the country of Syria.
[8] During the Syrian Civil War, mass production of drugs within Syria began, and officers fed their men fenethylline, which they called "Captain Courage.
[8] The New York Times reported in December 2021 that the 4th Armoured Division, commanded by Maher al-Assad, oversees much of the production and distribution of Captagon, among other drugs, reinforcing Syria's status as a narco-state on the Mediterranean sea.
The unit controls manufacturing facilities, packing plants, and smuggling networks all across Syria (which have started to also move crystal meth).
The division's security bureau, headed by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Bilal, provides protection for factories and along smuggling routes to the port city Latakia and to border crossings with Jordan and Lebanon.