Alleged smuggler arrested while preparing to secretly traffic 'nearly 25' Syrians to Cyprus

NORTH LEBANON — State Security has announced the arrest of a smuggler of Syrian nationality living in Lebanon, who was planning the illegal passage of "nearly 25" Syrians from Lebanon to Cyprus by sea. The man was arrested Monday in the locality of Nemrine (Dinnieh) in North Lebanon, according to a statement published Monday.

Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, a source within the institution explained that the network charged $4,200 per person and that the arrested man directed all the operations. The would-be migrants were required to pay $3,700 before leaving Syria, then $500 upon arriving in Lebanon.

The smuggler himself admitted to running a network that facilitates the passage of people from Syria to Europe, particularly through Cyprus, in exchange for a sum of money. The man was also subject to several judicial warrants. He was arrested on the order of the North's public prosecutor and turned over to the competent judicial authority, State Security specified.

While announcements of arrests of smugglers and would-be illegal emigrants increase every summer, especially during the summer months, none had been made public since April 2026. It was not possible to determine whether this situation illustrates a decrease in migration attempts from the Lebanese coast or if the security services had not reported any potential operations. Illegal migrants typically seek to reach the island of Cyprus, which is less than 200 kilometers from the Lebanese coast. Cypriot authorities, aligned with the European border management system for the Schengen area, have strengthened the measures taken to combat illegal immigration. In 2024, Lebanese who left from the village of Bibnine, in Akkar, were notably imprisoned on the island after their illegal arrival.

Un passeur présumé arrêté alors qu'il préparait le passage clandestin de « près de 25 » Syriens jusqu'à Chypre