Bags of cannabis, discovered at the port of Beirut and intended to be smuggled to an African country, are scattered on the ground on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanese customs seized 3.5 tons of narcotics at the Port of Beirut in a shipment that was to be "smuggled to an African country," without specifying which one, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Finance Ministry.
In a subsequent statement, the ministry's press office announced the arrest of "all members of the group involved in this trafficking operation," under the supervision of the judicial authorities.
The shipment was intercepted on Tuesday, and its contents were discovered on Wednesday, according to local broadcaster LBCI. It consisted of cannabis derivatives packed in plastic bags and cylindrical aluminum containers, according to images published by the channel and the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
No details were released about the circumstances that led to the seizure.
The operation comes amid increased pressure on Lebanon from several countries, notably Saudi Arabia, to crack down on drug trafficking, particularly captagon, a powerful amphetamine.
In mid-September 2025, the Lebanese Army announced the seizure of around 64 million captagon pills in the Bekaa, describing it as one of the country's largest-ever busts involving the drug.
The government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, which took office in February 2025 and has pledged to ensure that Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and the Port of Beirut are no longer used as transit points for Hezbollah, has been working with several countries to exchange intelligence aimed at intercepting drug shipments destined for export. Such shipments have long been concealed in containers of fruit or household goods passing through the Port of Beirut.
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