Customs Foil Operation to Smuggle Two Tons of Drugs to Egypt

The Customs' anti-narcotics unit seized overnight a vegetable truck loaded with drugs, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil revealed to the newspaper that the truck was coming from the Bekaa and the drugs were going to be smuggled to Egypt.

He pointed out that the operation was carried out in cooperation between Chafic Merhi, director general of the Lebanese Customs Administration, and General Prosecutor Samir Hammoud.

The newspaper said that the members of the gang, who were all apprehended, have been under surveillance.

It estimated that two tons of drugs were seized in the operation.

On Monday, the anti-drug bureau announced that security forces succeeded in thwarting an attempt to smuggle 3.5 tons of cannabis from Lebanon to Libya.

The drugs were transported from Lebanon to a ship, called Mare Ta Queen, which was docked outside of Lebanon's regional waters.

It then sailed to Libya's Tobruk port near the border with Egypt where it was halted by Egyptian authorities near the coast of Damietta.

The ship's entire cargo was seized and all those on board were arrested.

H.K.

M.T.