US Treasury Department imposes sanctions on suspected drug traffickers in Syria, Lebanon

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on six individuals, four Syrians and two Lebanese, accused of drug trafficking. In coordination with the United Kingdom, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department added the names of these suspects to its sanctions list.

The newly listed suspects include some notable names, such as Lebanese nationals Nouh Zeaiter and Hassan Daqqou and Syrians Khaled Qaddour, Imad Abu Zreik, Samer Al-Assad, and Wassim Al-Assad.

However, Nouh Zeaiter, who operates in Charawneh neighborhood of Baalbek, is wanted for thousands of arrest warrants related to drug trafficking, hashish, and firing on the army.

Additionally, Hassan Daqqou, a Syrian who obtained Lebanese citizenship in the late 1990s, is detained in the Information Branch building in Roumieh Prison after being sentenced to seven years in prison by the Criminal Court.

His arrest was related to the largest drug trafficking operation he was planning, which contained one hundred million Captagon pills seized in Malaysia while transported to Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, Samer Kamal Al-Assad and Wassim Badi Al-Assad, cousins of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, are also on the list. In addition, Khaled Qaddour, a Syrian businessman close to Maher Al-Assad, and Imad Abu Zreik, the former commander of the Free Syrian Army and now close to Syrian Intelligence, have also been sanctioned.

The US Treasury Department's decision also targeted two companies owned by Hassan Daqqou: Israa and Export Foundation based in Zahle and Hassan Daqqou Trading Company in Zahle.

Drug trafficking has become a significant threat in the region. Still, the sanctions aim to disrupt the activities of these individuals and companies, preventing them from accessing the international financial system.