Baalbek-Hermel province, Lebanon. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Authorities arrested two suspects, a Syrian and a Lebanese national who were wanted for alleged drug trafficking, from the al-Sharawneh neighborhood in Baalbeck, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
“After monitoring them for a long time, the Special Group in the Judicial Police managed, with a professional operation in the al-Sharawneh area, to arrest the Syrian national nicknamed ‘The Barber,’ who is an engineer for drug trafficking networks, is wanted and has more than 200 judicial warrants and a Lebanese national who is also one of the major drug dealers,” the tweet said.
Baalbeck, where the state struggles to impose authorities and non-state weapons are widely prevalent, is often the scene of bloody clashes between rival clans, sometimes involving Lebanese Army soldiers.