Tripoli Port's security problems: The case of the concealed firearms

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

A Turkish truck carrying oils would have avoided detection at the Port of Tripoli in Lebanon if it had not caught fire, where customs officials later uncovered 304 smuggled firearms concealed within its chassis.

Customs authorities manually inspected the truck at Tripoli's port and initially cleared it without suspicion. 

The port, which is monitored by three security agencies — General Security, searching people; Customs, overseeing goods; and the Army, in charge of maintaining security — failed to detect the concealed firearms.

Customs officials argue that their role is limited to inspecting cargo, not vehicles subject to security checks. Meanwhile, General Security contends that any imported vehicle, like the Turkish truck, should undergo scrutiny similar to cargo inspections.

Moreover, security sources point out that shipments from Turkey often bypass rigorous checks at Tripoli's port due to staffing shortages, outdated scanning equipment, and stringent Turkish security measures at border crossings. 

In contrast, customs sources and port administrators maintain that all goods flagged for the red channel undergo thorough inspections. 

Additionally, military intelligence has imposed a temporary ban on truck movements pending inspection following the arms smuggling incident. 

The incident exposes glaring weaknesses in Tripoli's port surveillance system. Despite handling 120,000 containers and 30,000 trucks annually, the port operates with only 12 customs officials and two scanners, far below the required staffing levels of at least 30 customs officers and six scanners.

Compounding the issue is the presence of a single antiquated scanner for container and truck inspections, over 25 years old, in a port generating monthly revenues of approximately $3 million.
 
The government, prompted by the Finance Ministry overseeing customs operations, is considering a tender for procuring new scanners. 

Nonetheless, this initiative, proposed during President Michel Aoun's tenure, has yet to materialize.  

The story of the Tripoli port shipment raises serious questions about the volume of suspicious cargo entering Lebanon unchecked in a country where security agencies should be vigilant in addressing known vulnerabilities.