Amphetamine tablets. Illustration image published by the Saudi Press Agency on July 1, 2025.
Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar on Wednesday praised the “close coordination” between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in efforts to combat drug trafficking, following the seizure of 5 million amphetamine pills announced by Saudi authorities a day earlier.
“Lebanon is working closely with the competent agencies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to eradicate drug trafficking,” Hajjar told Saudi broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya. “A large quantity was recently seized based on information received from the Saudi Interior Ministry,” he said, adding: “The kingdom is the loving big brother of Lebanon, and we will not accept it suffering any harm.”
On Tuesday, the Saudi Interior Ministry said that Lebanese authorities had thwarted an attempt to smuggle over 5 million amphetamine pills — hidden in glass and porcelain tableware — inside a shipping container. The operation was made possible by intelligence shared with Lebanese customs and anti-narcotics divisions, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The ministry’s spokesman praised “the positive cooperation with the competent Lebanese authorities,” adding that Saudi Arabia remains vigilant in monitoring drug-related criminal activity in order to protect “the country and its youth.”
Lebanon remains a key transit and production point for captagon, a type of amphetamine that is cheap to produce, highly profitable, and in high demand across the Gulf. Smugglers have employed increasingly creative methods to ship the drug from Lebanese territory.
On Monday, the Lebanese Army announced the seizure of a large quantity of raw materials used in the production of captagon. Over the weekend, Syrian security forces said they intercepted a shipment of drugs originating from Lebanon. According to the Syrian Interior Ministry’s anti-drug division, an ambush led to the seizure of 500,000 captagon pills, 500 blocks of hashish, and 165 kilograms of cannabis resin.
Syrian authorities say the operation is part of broader efforts to dismantle regional trafficking networks and crack down on cross-border drug smuggling.
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