The military judiciary in Lebanon has taken control of a significant case relating to suspicions of a "senior officer's involvement with a professional drug trafficking gang." A knowledgeable source revealed to "Al-Anbaa" that "an officer within the Internal Security Forces, holding the rank of brigadier general (the source withheld his name), who occupies an important position in the institution, is under strong suspicion of involvement with a drug trafficking network, covering up for its members, and facilitating their operations across extensive Lebanese areas."
This arrest follows careful monitoring and tracking operations conducted by the Lebanese Army, including raids executed by army units on the hideouts of these gangs. The source, who declined to be named, stated that the army "recently relied on drones to document the raids it conducts to track the movements of the gangs and the places they flee to. It was found that whenever a raid occurred on a gang consisting of three brothers, they would flee to the brigadier general's home to hide, and the information indicated that the brigadier general is the husband of their aunt."
The source noted that "during the last raid that took place last week, the images captured by the drone showed that they had removed a large quantity of drugs from their house and placed it in an SUV, and sought refuge in the brigadier general's home as they had done every time, secure in the belief that he was beyond suspicion. At this point, approval from the military judiciary was obtained, and a raid on the brigadier general's home was conducted, where the vehicle loaded with large quantities of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, as well as hashish and cannabis, was found in the internal yard. The brothers were immediately arrested, while the matter concerning the officer was referred to the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces, which summoned him based on the directive of the government commissioner, Judge Fadi Akiki."
Following the conclusion of the initial investigation, the brigadier general was referred to the military public prosecution. Government commissioner Judge Fadi Akiki hastened to file charges against him under strict penal code provisions, including "promoting and trafficking in drugs, concealing individuals wanted by justice, and assisting them in evading the grip of the army and security forces." The file was transferred to military investigating judge Alaa Khalil, who interrogated the mentioned officer for four hours, and at the end of the session, issued an immediate arrest warrant against him.
A judicial source informed "Al-Anbaa" that Judge Khalil "wants to broaden the investigation and will request call data related to the officer's phones to verify his connection with members of the drug trafficking gang." The source added: "It is early to accuse the officer of being a partner with this gang, considering that the individuals who take refuge in his house during every raid are the children of his wife's brother, and it is necessary to determine whether he was aware that they had implicated him in their activities or not."
