Army raid in Mishmish: 'One of the most wanted criminals' killed after exchange of gunfire

BEIRUT — An exchange of gunfire took place Wednesday during a Lebanese Army raid in the heights of Michmich, in Akkar, to arrest "one of the most wanted criminals," resulting in his death, according to a statement from the army and our regional correspondent.

He was "one of the most wanted criminals for committing several crimes: Murder, forming a weapons trafficking network, drug trafficking and promotion, kidnapping, armed robbery, circulating counterfeit currency and money laundering, in addition to previous shootings at army patrols and the trafficking of individuals involved in the murder of a soldier," the statement said.

During the raid, carried out by a patrol from the Army Intelligence Directorate, "the suspect opened fire toward the patrol members, who returned fire and killed him," the Lebanese Army specified, adding that the "citizen (A.D.), who was accompanying him, was arrested."

Furthermore, "a significant quantity of weapons and military ammunition was also seized in their possession," and "an investigation has been opened with the detainee under the supervision of the competent judicial authority."

On Aug. 6, "Abou Salleh," whose real name was Ali Mounzer Zeaiter, one of the country's most wanted drug traffickers for numerous charges, including kidnappings and two murders, one of them a soldier, was also killed in clashes with the army in the Sharawneh district of Baalbeck.

At the time, a high-ranking security source told L'Orient Today that "the operations are far from over. Our fight against drug traffickers is still long," noting that in the last four years, "450 top-level drug dealers" had been arrested.

In recent weeks, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar has made several announcements about major drug seizures and the dismantling of trafficking networks. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Boukhari, praised the efforts made by his ministry in combating drug smuggling, especially toward the kingdom.

Lebanon is under pressure from Gulf countries to quell the production and trafficking of narcotics, particularly captagon, an illegal synthetic amphetamine that was Syria's main export before the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown Dec. 8 by a coalition of Islamist rebels.