Nouh Zeaiter. (Photo: NNA)
BEIRUT — The Beirut criminal court, presided over by Bilal Dennaoui, held two consecutive hearings on Monday devoted to drug trafficking cases involving Nouh Zeaiter, a powerful drug lord who was arrested last November after many years on the run. The court had to postpone both hearings to Oct. 19: the first, at the request of Zeaiter’s lawyers, who requested the testimony of the investigator who questioned him before his referral to the court in order to obtain clarifications; the second, because the Internal Security Forces (ISF) were unable to notify an individual involved in the case alongside the drug lord. A judicial source noted that these notifications can sometimes take up to four months.
Another factor that contributed to the six-month adjournment of the next hearing is the judicial vacation period, which extends from July to September, according to the Justice Palace.
L’Orient-Le Jour also learned on Monday that two other cases linked to drug trafficking were previously postponed by the Beirut criminal court, one of which is set for June 3. Several hundred other cases (some mention the figure of 800) are expected to be forwarded to this same court soon, according to our information.
Last February, the military court sentenced Zeaiter to four months in prison in four cases involving minor offenses related to arms trafficking, illegal shooting, possession of weapons and ammunition without a permit, and illegal possession of military clothing.
The drug trafficker was brought before the Beirut criminal court on Monday under heavy security, escorted by numerous heavily armed security officers.
A judicial source said Judge Dennawi allowed him to stay seated during the hearing, as he continues a hunger strike in his isolation cell at the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces intelligence service.
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