Conflict Incident Report

The Internal Security Forces busted a seven-man drug trafficking ring after the group had smuggled hashish and Captagon pills hidden in cowhide to Egypt for years, the ISF reported in a statement Wednesday. The suspects - all Lebanese nationals ranging between 30 and 54 years old - confessed to having carried out 15 smuggling operations since 2013 from Lebanon to Egypt by sea, transporting cannabis and Captagon pills in cattle skins. Shipments ranged between three to 10 tons, the most recent of which was delivered last month, according to the statement. The suspects also admitted that they had prepped a shipment of about seven tons of hashish and 30 boxes of Captagon to be sent in the coming days. They said they prepared the smuggled drugs in the Bekaa, later transporting them to two warehouses owned by one of the suspects in Burj Hammoud and Sidon’s Ghazieh. The drugs would then be sent to the port to be shipped. The ISF said it coordinated the bust with Egyptian authorities to seize the last shipment that was sent.
The ISF apprehended the seven suspects after conducting multiple raids across the country from the Bekaa to Burj Hammoud and Beirut’s Ain al-Mreisseh on June 27. The suspects were found with different firearms in their possession and money in various currencies.