Conflict Incident Report

BEIRUT: Police said they arrested three men suspected of storing and distributing prescription medication without proper licenses.

One of the suspects, identified as 27-year-old H.H., was detained in Tripoli’s Al-Mina area in March after the Internal Security Forces Information Branch obtained information about the scheme. They confiscated 20 boxes of Tramadol in his possession.

A police unit raided his house in the Zahriye neighborhood in Tripoli, and confiscated an additional 3,040 pills of Tramadol.

The suspect admitted during questioning that the source of the pills was H.H., his 37-year-old relative and a pharmacist, the statement said.

Investigations revealed that the pharmacist had a warehouse in Zahriye and a pharmacy in Ayrounieh.

The ISF agents, accompanied by inspectors from the Ministry of Health, raided the warehouse and pharmacy, seizing a large quantity of unregulated, smuggled and unlicensed medication, worth $700,000, some of which had expired.

Some of the seized medication was used for treating stress, blood pressure and cancer. Some items, like insulin, were not stored properly.

The pharmacist confessed during questioning that he wasn’t licensed to distribute or warehouse medication. He said that he sold medication to pharmacies in north Lebanon through his relative, S.H., 25. He too was arrested.

The warehouse was sealed with red wax, and the 3 suspects were referred to the Financial Crimes Office for further questioning.