Security forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle a quantity of drugs through the airport, which was packaged in a professional manner, and apprehended the involved parties.
According to a statement from the Internal Security Forces, the Administrative and Judicial Control Unit at Rafic Hariri International Airport received a suspect named A. S. (born in 1999, Syrian nationality) from one of the airport inspection patrols. He was found in possession of 16 pieces of cannabis/hashish in the shape of rectangular cubes, each wrapped in transparent white plastic, totaling a weight of 1.266 kg, which were hidden inside his luggage in chocolate wrappers, while he was traveling to Turkey.
The statement added that during investigation, he revealed that he works in the field of shipping goods from Turkey to Lebanon and Syria and vice versa. He had met a person in this field and informed him about goods he intended to transport to Turkey. The suspect then traveled from Syria to his office in Lebanon, where he received the goods to transport to Turkey, unaware of the drugs concealed within them.
Further investigation by the Central Anti-Drug Bureau within the Judicial Police Unit led to his admission of smuggling drugs within the chocolate. It was also mentioned that there are still 20 boxes of the same chocolate type hidden inside which are packed with cannabis intended for smuggling abroad.
The statement indicated that a patrol from the bureau proceeded to the airport road area and managed to seize the shipment, which was found to contain 24 kg of cannabis. Additionally, investigations and inquiries led to the arrest of two other individuals involved in the smuggling operation, coordinated with the special unit: K. R. (born in 1971, Lebanese) and K. Q. (born in 2001, Syrian). Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining accomplices under the supervision of the competent judiciary authority.
