The headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture. (Credit: NNA)
The customs directorate seized, at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and in coordination with the Ministry of Economy, 55 tons of apples and pears that entered Lebanon illegally over a two-day period. These tons of fruits were handed over to the Lebanese army, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), citing a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday.
The offenders were fined LL 17.6 billion (nearly $200,000), which was double the value of these goods, according to the statement, which added that this "measure aims to deter smuggling operations, which are very harmful to the agricultural economy and food safety."
The Ministry of Agriculture stated that "the fight against smuggling is a national priority."
The statement did not specify the origin of the fruits in question, but the smuggling that enters Lebanon overland generally comes from neighboring Syria. The borders between the two countries are very porous, and efforts to combat smuggling rarely yield the expected results.
