Syrian security forces have detained Wasim Assad, a cousin of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, the state news agency SANA reported, quoted by BTA.
Wassim Assad was sanctioned by the US in 2023 for leading a paramilitary force supporting Assad's army, as well as for drug trafficking, including the amphetamine-like drug Captagon, Reuters notes.
Bashar Assad was ousted from power in December last year by Islamist rebels and fled to Moscow. Most of his family and inner circle have also fled Syria or remained in the country and gone underground.
Syria's new security forces are pursuing members of the former administration - mainly those who were part of Assad's feared Syrian security forces, accused of human rights abuses. Human rights groups have called for a comprehensive transition process and justice to hold them accountable.