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Drugs hidden in sunflower seeds seized from delivery man at Batroun prison

Drugs hidden in sunflower seeds seized from delivery man at Batroun prison

Sunflower seeds containing drugs seized by the Lebanese police. (Credit: ISF)

BEIRUT — A delivery man, who was carrying drugs hidden in sunflower seeds and destined for an inmate in Batroun prison in northern Lebanon, has been arrested, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the ISF explained that the suspect, a 25-year-old Lebanese man, came to Batroun prison on an unspecified date to deliver a package to an inmate.

During a search of the delivery man, police found three bags of sunflower seeds. The seeds had been emptied and filled with an unspecified quantity of captagon and Artane (Benzhexol).

The drugs were seized and the delivery man arrested. The detainee who was to receive the drugs and his alleged accomplice were referred to the anti-drugs office in Tripoli for investigation.

On Monday, the ISF announced that it had foiled two drug smuggling operations in which it seized 960,000 captagon pills, as well as 208 kilograms of hashish.

Lebanese authorities have stepped up their efforts to combat drug trafficking or transit through the country, while security restrictions are imposed on Lebanese exports by Gulf countries.

Last November, more than 5 million captagon pills were seized by the ISF in Ghazieh, South Lebanon. In October, Lebanese customs seized some 160,000 pills of the drug at Beirut international airport which were intended to be shipped to the Sultanate of Oman via the Qatari capital Doha.

Captagon, or fenethylline, originally prescribed to calm hyperactivity, is composed of amphetamines and caffeine. Since 1986, it has been classified as a psychotropic drug by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

BEIRUT — A delivery man, who was carrying drugs hidden in sunflower seeds and destined for an inmate in Batroun prison in northern Lebanon, has been arrested, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Tuesday.In a statement, the ISF explained that the suspect, a 25-year-old Lebanese man, came to Batroun prison on an unspecified date to deliver a package to an inmate.During a search of the...