November 2, 2026
The arrest of a Syrian citizen, suspected of being involved in drug smuggling, at Rafic Hariri International Airport raised questions about the circumstances of the operation, following his arrival on a Middle East Airlines flight coming from the Ghanaian capital, Accra, and a huge quantity was seized in his possession.
Information indicated that the seized materials were pure cocaine, and were professionally hidden inside tubes inside a travel bag to avoid discovery during inspection procedures. This method of packaging is used for the first time in a shipment sent to Lebanon, in addition to the fact that the quantity is among the largest seized at the airport.
In detail, the General Directorate of Public Security has been following the suspect’s movements since his arrival in Accra weeks ago, after he legally entered Lebanon from Syria. The follow-up was carried out through external security coordination and based on information related to an international network active in smuggling cocaine and other narcotic substances from South America through Africa to the Middle East, which proves that his monitoring fell within a coordinated security operation with international extensions.
According to independent sources, Public Security was preparing a precise operation to track down members of the network and determine their connections with the aim of arresting them simultaneously, based on international information that placed the group under intense surveillance.
However, an unexpected development led to the disruption of the prepared security plan, and the arrest has so far been limited to the suspect at the airport, without clarifying the reasons that prevented the completion of the comprehensive operation.
Meanwhile, the security and judicial services continue their investigations into the detainee to reveal the nature of his activity and the identity of his partners inside and outside Lebanon, in preparation for completing the judicial file and prosecuting the remaining members of the network and arresting them to refer them to justice.
