BEIRUT — The Internal Security Forces announced Thursday that it has arrested four people allegedly responsible for last week’s break-in and theft at Beirut’s vegetable market.

Here’s what we know:

    • On Wednesday, Dec. 22 at dawn, electrical cables and detergents inside the vegetable market were stolen. Preliminary estimates from local media say the value of the loot did not exceed $10,000.

    • The ISF also claimed that the suspects were captured in possession of drugs, including salvia and captagon.

    • Four weeks ago, Tripoli’s vegetable market, which is the second largest in Lebanon, was also attacked. Generators, refrigerators, power poles and sanitation equipment were looted by a gang.

    • This incident is part of what can be described as an uptick in crime in Lebanon, as statistics show the number of thefts rose by 266 percent in 2021.

    • Around 82 percent of the Lebanese population lives in multidimensional poverty. Lebanon has been in financial trouble since 2019, when the Lebanese lira started losing its value, now trading just above LL 27,000 to the dollar on the parallel market. In addition, subsidies on most essential goods have been partially or completely lifted, including medication and fuel, rendering them too expensive for most of the population.