Weapons seized by the Lebanese Army during Jarrafeh's arrest. (Credit: Lebanese Army)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army announced Wednesday it arrested H.N., also known as “Hassan Jarrafeh,” in the Palestinian refugee camp Shatila, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. He is accused of running the so-called “Shatila warehouse,” a major hub for drug trafficking.
The army described him as “one of the most dangerous criminals.” He was wanted on charges of forming an armed gang involved in arms and drug trafficking, shooting at an army patrol, and throwing a grenade at soldiers. He is also accused of inciting riots, extortion, armed robbery, and motorcycle theft.
Soldiers seized two handguns, a large quantity of narcotics, and stolen goods. The items were handed over to the relevant authorities, and an investigation is underway.
Last year, the army arrested Fady Hassan, then in charge of the “Shatila warehouse,” and destroyed the site during a major operation in the camp. Security concerns and drug trafficking resurfaced in late October after the killing of a woman in a “drug hideout” inside the camp.
That incident followed the killing of a young man, Elio Abou Hanna, by armed Palestinian men in the same camp. The developments come as Lebanese authorities move ahead with a plan launched several months ago to disarm the camps.
In September, the army said it carried out another operation in the Shatila camp targeting a drug warehouse, sparking clashes that led to 55 arrests.
Lebanon also faces pressure from Gulf monarchies to curb the production and trafficking of narcotics, especially Captagon, an illegal synthetic amphetamine that was one of Syria’s main exports before the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
