Conflict Incident Report

The Internal Security Forces Monday announced that it had arrested three people belonging to an international drug network that used bottles of spirits to smuggle cocaine into Lebanon to be sold to Lebanese dealers. The arrests were made by the ISF’s Information Branch over the past two months and came after a process of several months’ surveillance, a statement said. This enabled the unit to identify eight people belonging to an “international organization specializing in smuggling to Lebanon large amounts of cocaine, which would be mixed with liquid.” The drugs would be smuggled into the country through alcohol bottles packed in duty free bags from an international airport, the statement said.

Italian National L.R. was arrested at Rafik Hariri International Airport on May 17 coming from Paraguay. Three large containers with liquid and raw cocaine were seized in his possession.
During investigations, L.R. confessed to having carried out 20 drug smuggling operations to Lebanon and said that among those who used to receive drugs from him were Y.Sh. and G.Z.