Lebanese-Saudi cooperation aids Baalbeck Captagon drug bust

BEKAA — The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Thursday that it carried out raids on a Captagon-manufacturing factory located in the Tall Abiad area of Baalbeck, "in cooperation with Saudi authorities."

"This operation led to the seizure of a Captagon factory, as well as quantities of drugs, weapons and other illicit substances," the ISF said in a statement.

The ISF said the operation was made possible by an exchange of intelligence between the General Directorate for Drug Control in Saudi Arabia and the Central Office for Drug Control in Lebanon, and was carried out jointly by the ISF and the Lebanese Army.

Saudi Arabia banned all imports from Lebanon in 2021 over the smuggling of Captagon from Lebanon into Saudi Arabia primarily through fruit and vegetable deliveries. Lebanon's recent attempts at shutting down Captagon manufacturing has been met with praise and support from the Gulf state.

In a statement released in tandem with the ISF's, the Interior Ministry praised "the considerable efforts exerted by the ISF in the fight against drug trafficking and the dismantling of criminal networks."

The ministry also pointed to the "security cooperation" and intelligence sharing between the Lebanese Army and the Saudi security services as being vital to the government's work cracking down on the illegal drug trade in the country.

According to the ministry, "the operation led to the seizure of a drug manufacturing factory, narcotics and weapons, as well as the arrest of those involved." "No leniency will be tolerated toward any activity that threatens the security of our nation and our society, or that of any Arab nation," the statement added.