Syrian security forces arrested a former protocol officer at Deir ez-Zor airport in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border on charges of drug trafficking and antiquities smuggling, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.

The Observatory said Mohammad Saleh Hamidi also led a militia faction affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).

Security forces raided his home before detaining him for questioning over his alleged involvement in smuggling operations.

Images published after his arrest show a tattoo of slain IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani on his arm.

Experts say the Middle East in the last decade has witnessed a surge in drug manufacturing and trafficking, largely fueled by the Syrian conflict, in which the Iran-backed toppled government of President Bashar al-Assad played a key role.

Smuggling operations allegedly facilitated by Iran-linked militias channel Captagon - a drug combining amphetamines and caffeine - into Persian Gulf countries, providing an important revenue stream for sanctioned armed groups.