BEIRUT: Lebanese government on Sunday arrested a Saudi guy at Beirut airport who tried to smuggle 18.3 kilograms of the unlawful stimulant Captagon in another country, the inner ministry mentioned. Lebanon’s inside ministry mentioned in a remark that the medication have been destined for Kuwait. The ministry added that the person is a Saudi citizen and a Kuwait resident who holds paperwork announcing he works in “safety” there. Underneath its commonplace observe, it didn’t identify the suspect.

Business in Captagon within the Heart East grew exponentially in 2021 to most sensible $5 billion, posing an expanding well being and safety possibility to the area, a record by way of the New Strains Institute mentioned in April. Syria is the primary manufacturer of the amphetamine-type drug, and Saudi Arabia the primary shopper. A safety legit on the airport advised AFP the person had positioned an estimated 110,000 Captagon capsules inside of luggage that have been “stitched in clothes”.

Safety forces have intensified efforts to thwart smuggling operations after Riyadh suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon in April ultimate yr. It mentioned shipments have been used for drug smuggling and accused Beirut of state of being inactive. Lebanese government have arrested a number of Captagon smugglers over time, maximum particularly a Saudi in 2015 who, along side 4 Saudi accomplices, attempted to smuggle about two heaps of capsules on a personal airplane headed to the dominion from Beirut. – AFP