Lebanon foils massive drug smuggling attempt, seizes 6.5 million Captagon pills

Lebanon’s interior minister announced Monday that security forces foiled a major drug smuggling attempt, seizing more than 6.5 million Captagon pills and 700 kilograms of hashish prepared for shipment abroad.

Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar said the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch dismantled an international network spanning Lebanon, Turkey, Australia, and Jordan. The group had been under surveillance for months before authorities arrested its ringleader and several members.

The operation prevented the drugs from reaching Beirut Port, where they were set to be shipped to Saudi Arabia, al-Hajjar said during a press conference.

The minister also highlighted broader security operations, noting recent arrests linked to terrorism and collaboration with Israel. He stressed that crime and drug trafficking “have no region, identity, or sect,” and vowed that no one is above the law.

Al-Hajjar praised coordination with foreign counterparts in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Jordan, underscoring that political authorities are fully backing Lebanese security agencies in their efforts to dismantle criminal networks.

He added that the Lebanese army recently dismantled a drug lab inside the country and reaffirmed that “anyone who violates the law will be prosecuted and referred to the judiciary.”

Asked about reports of a Hezbollah-linked cell arrested in Syria, al-Hajjar said Lebanese authorities had not been informed of such a development.