Lebanon seizes major cocaine shipment after tipoff from Saudi Arabia

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

Lebanese authorities seized a major quantity of cocaine on Tuesday, in coordination with Saudi Arabia.

“We seized 125 kilograms (276 pounds) of cocaine,” Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjjar said at a press conference in Beirut.

He explained that the shipment “was smuggled on a vessel that arrived from Brazil, passing through Oman before reaching the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon.”

Two people were arrested in connection with the shipment, while others are being pursued, the minister said.

Describing the seized quantity as the “largest” in recent years, he said the shipment was held upon intelligence from the Saudi Interior Ministry.

“The drugs were hidden inside around 840 gallons containing oils and grease, camouflaged in a professional manner.”

“We reassure neighboring countries that we will not allow Lebanon to become a corridor for drug smuggling.”

Lebanon has seized large shipments of narcotics in recent years in raids in various regions, particularly in the Bekaa and the north, where smuggling operations into the country and into neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, are active.