PALACES, DRUG FACTORIES & REBEL TUNNELS IN SYRIA13 min read

FREE SYRIAN SERIES, DAY 3 – 4

DAMASCUS

Palaces, Drug Factories & Rebel Tunnels in Syria. If there were 3 palaces out of bounds for anyone, whether a local or a tourist, it would be Assad’s Palaces, his Drug Factories and the Rebel Tunnels.

PEOPLE WERE GIVEN FOOD, THEIR FOOD IN A DOG BOWL, TO SHARE

There might not be any immigration but there are still plenty of permissions required that proved to be an absolute headache to get.

NORTH KOREAN MEMORIAL

To give you an idea of the allegiances Syria had, North Korea donated a military memorial built in Damascus. Getting there was interesting though, jumping in the back of a rebel jeep only to get my foot caught on something, a bazooka. I don’t know what a bazooka looks like but I’d imagine that’s what it was.

Palaces, Drug Factories & Rebel Tunnels in Syria

PALACES

We still didn’t have our permission sorted yet but we headed to Assad’s father’s palace, which was eventually given to his wife. Don’t ask me why she needed another palace given their own residence was just beside it and was one of the biggest houses in the region.

We had to pretty much beg to get access and they weren’t budging. Eventually we just asked if we could stand at the front door. With small steps (literally) we eventually got inside to a few of the rooms. The entire palace is immaculately built with integrate woodwork, expensive marble and bullet proof windows.

Palaces, Drug Factories & Rebel Tunnels in Syria

GYM

Of course, in a home that was never used they had a huge garage for 40 cars, a gym bigger than most homes, sauna, jacuzzi and plunge pool. Someone had actually sh*t in the shower which I found amusing. 😆

Palaces, Drug Factories & Rebel Tunnels in Syria

MAIN RESIDENCE

We took the drive up the mountain to get as close as we could to the main palace. During the regime, Assad closed the entire mountain, which included a huge park area and viewpoint which the locals would have often used. Even from afar the palace is like nothing I have ever seen, one of the biggest buildings I have seen.

Palaces, Drug Factories & Rebel Tunnels in Syria

GOVERNMENT BUILDING

We made a quick stop at what would have been parliament, even though Assad made every decision from the imports to when the street lighting would be on. One of his cars was there and was waiting to be picked up by a rebel commander. The windows were bullet proof and had been shot at, leaving just a small scratch!

DAY 4

DRUG FACTORIES

After a failed attempt to get into a prison without any permission last night we made a call to try and head to some of the drug factories today. Our first stop was one of the smaller ones which was now closed but with some luck we landed at the daddy of them all.

FACTORY OWNER

Turns out this factory was owned by a local businessman who was forced out as the government took it over. The factory was in perfect position located beside the main road with close access to the border but far enough away so it couldn’t be seen.

DOWNSTAIRS

The basement served as the place where they mixed everything and packaged it all. I had never seen anything like the number of pills and the way they hid them. They disguised the drugs inside what looked like tiny electrical boxes with working components. They stored the drugs in a tight coil wrapped in metal and fixed it to the box. We managed to open one, but it took a lot of effort from myself and the soldier. You could actually see how the workers tried to destroy the evidence with fire, but most of it remained since they left in such a hurry.

GROUND FLOOR

The ground floor contained a mass of other packaging, from potato moulds to boxes for oranges and another room for storing all the chemicals.

UXO

The rebels led us towards the entrance to see an unexploded missile that had landed a few days after the workers left. It was clear they wanted to destroy the evidence along with the entire factory. However, I didn’t know it was a missile until I was standing over the top of it. These guys have zero concept of fear.

THE TUNNELS

My guide contacted someone living on the outskirts of Damascus, who then showed us the network of tunnels in the area. Rebels had established this as a stronghold, nearly costing Assad control of Damascus. In response, he chose to completely decimate the town—better to erase both the place and its people than risk losing power I’m sure… You might be starting to grasp the level at which this guy operated.

HOSPITAL

At the time, fighters used the tunnel to move equipment, soldiers, and supplies around the town. They connected it to a mosque and a hospital, which you might think would offer some protection, but Assad targeted the hospital several times—though I believe he drew the line at complete destruction. The tunnel forms a massive labyrinth of alleys and interconnected rooms, and I can’t imagine the effort it took to build. The entrance was large enough for a car to pass through.

PRISON BRANCH (main prison tomorrow)

People refer to many of the ‘police stations’ as branches, and authorities had previously used many of them as houses in huge, built-up residential areas. Like everything in this place, there was a reason for it. Not only did he want extra eyes on the prison but he wanted the locals to get a sneak preview into what was happening here.

The prisons sit in the basements of these branches, exposing inmates to some of the most brutal conditions imaginable. They receive no light, have no windows, get very little food, and suffer from the complete lack of sanitation.

SOLITARY

One of the guards led us around the prison, showing us each room, and I couldn’t imagine spending a night here, let alone six months. Some cells were larger than others. They had originally built the solitary cells for one person, but over the last five years, they crammed up to 17 people inside. Imagine having no space to even sit down, let alone step outside for a walk.

To make things worse, they painted some of the smaller cells red and black to intensify the psychological torture.

FOOD & TORTURE

In the bigger cells, you could still see some of the food they had given the inmates—tomatoes, nuts, and dates, all served in dog bowls. In the hall, they had placed some of the devices they used to torture the inmates, along with cameras designed to degrade and manipulate them further. They employed only the worst techniques here.

NYE

Mary, who works with Rami, invited me to spend NYE with her family, which turned out to be an incredible experience. Normally, when I travel during NYE, I attend a big event or a party, but this time, just seven of us sat around the table, enjoying some amazing local food. You could tell it was New Year when gunshots rang out outside! Apparently, stray bullets have already caused a few deaths on another street.

TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS

If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Crazy few days, how different this place has become. I just hope for the better!

SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
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NEXT UP

Syria’s most notorious prison!! Click to read.

This post is part of the Free Syrian Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.

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