A person handling cocaine powder with gloves and a scalpel. (Credit: Illustrative photo / AFP)
BEIRUT — The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Tuesday the arrest on Aug. 25 of a Lebanese man who arrived from Brazil at Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA) carrying 4.9 kilograms of cocaine mixed with adhesive substances and concealed in the bottom of two suitcases in what law enforcement described as a "complex" concealment method.
According to an ISF statement, the Central Office for Combating Narcotics had previously received information about the activities of a drug trafficking network based in a Latin American country, involving Lebanese nationals and the transport of drugs to Lebanon via travelers. Analysis of the information enabled investigators to identify preparations for a drug trafficking operation from Brazil to Lebanon.
The suspect, identified by his initials A.T. and born in 1986, was arrested on Aug. 25 upon his arrival in Lebanon, following coordination between the Central Office for Combating Narcotics and General Security at RHIA.
During a search of his luggage, officers discovered 4.9 kilograms of cocaine mixed with adhesive substances and concealed in the bottom of two suitcases. During questioning, the man admitted to the charges and said the cocaine was to be separated from the substances with which it had been mixed.
