Captagon pills seize by Lebanese police in November 2025. (Photo released by the ISF)
BEIRUT — The First Investigating Judge in North Lebanon, Judge Naji al-Dahdah, issued his indictment in the case of an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of cocaine from the Port of Tripoli to Saudi Arabia, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday.
According to the indictment of Aug. 6, 2025, the Central Anti-Narcotics Bureau, an agency operating under the Internal Security Forces (ISF), received an intelligence report from the Saudi liaison officer at the Saudi embassy in Beirut indicating the presence of narcotics in one of the containers at the Port of Tripoli. When the Bureau raided the container, it found 480 gallons of vegetable oil in it, 10 of which carried a total of 126 kilograms of cocaine prepared for export to Saudi Arabia.
Based on the Bureau's investigations, Judge al-Dahdah indicted “Mohammad R.,” “Madeleine Z.,” “Ahmad K.,” and others on charges of drug trafficking and smuggling, referring them to the North Lebanon Criminal Court for trial.
NNA also reported that al-Dahdah issued a second indictment in the case of an attempted smuggling of 1,405 kilograms of Captagon pills, which had been seized in the village of Bakhaoun in Dannieh, following the seizure of a similar quantity at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in coordination with Saudi security services. This shipment had been prepared for transport to the Port of Tripoli and then to be shipped onward to the Port of Jeddah.
Dahdah charged the defendants “Ahmad S.,” “Bassem Sh.,” “Mazen J.,” “Hassan J.,” “Ahmad J.,” and “Samir Kh.” with the crimes of drug trafficking and drug distribution, forming a criminal gang active in smuggling narcotics to Lebanon and the region, as well as importing and exporting them. He referred them to the Criminal Court for trial.
These developments come as a senior Saudi official told Reuters last Thursday that Saudi Arabia plans to soon strengthen its trade ties with Lebanon, after Lebanese authorities demonstrated their effectiveness in combating drug smuggling to the kingdom in recent months.
