From ‘sissi’ to cocaine: Lebanon’s drug trade under the spotlight

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

“Go near the tree by a restaurant on the street we agreed on. At exactly 8 p.m., you’ll find a cup under the tree with the goods. Take it quickly and leave.” This conversation is from a drug dealer instructing a courier to complete a drug handoff at lightning speed before a security ambush. 

It illustrates one of the rapid-delivery methods that have become common after previous methods, such as using motorcycles as street-level selling points, were exposed.

Because speed is critical, the meeting is set near a well-known landmark to prevent the driver from getting lost.

These landmarks can include a prominent ambulance center, a restaurant, or a place of worship. This is exactly what happened Wednesday night in two separate operations, which resulted in the arrest of the dealers and the seizure of their goods by the Mount Lebanon Investigation Unit.

Mount Lebanon has become a central hub for drug distribution. 

The drugs primarily come from the Bekaa region toward Beirut's southern suburbs and are then distributed to areas with active markets, including Baabda, where drugs reach Hazmieh, Chiyah, Kafaat, and Ain el-Remmaneh; Beirut's southern suburbs, including Sabra, Airport Road, Borj el-Brajneh, and Laylaki; the Aley District, including Khalde and Choueifat; Chouf, including Damour; and Keserwan, including Jounieh and Ghazir.

The types of drugs vary widely, from a cheap local drug known as "sissi," sold at $12 per gram, to cocaine, which can cost between $70 and $100 per gram.

As of this report, the Mount Lebanon Investigation Unit of the Internal Security Forces had arrested 88 dealers over three months — a record number — including one of the most dangerous wanted individuals in the Shatila Camp, known as “Hassan Jarafa,” who was handed over to military intelligence on Wednesday. 

Jarafa managed the so-called “Shatila hangar,” the camp’s main drug distribution center, which supplied drugs across Lebanon. He also led an armed gang involved in drug trafficking, arms dealing, robbery, and extortion.

His long criminal record in drug trafficking led to a life sentence in absentia.

But why a life sentence? Lebanon’s drug law mandates life imprisonment for traffickers and dealers. 

However, courts usually sentence traffickers to 15 years and couriers to five years. Lawyers consider these penalties fair, but security officials call for tougher measures, especially since one year of a sentence effectively equals nine months behind bars — assuming there are no interventions by influential lawyers, political mediators, or bribes.