Syrian Diva Briefly Held at Beirut Airport over Cocaine Possession

Prominent Syrian diva Asala Nasri was briefly held overnight Sunday at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport over the possession of two grams of cocaine, media reports said.

State-run National News Agency said Internal Security Forces inspection officers found two grams of cocaine in a small plastic box that Asala was carrying.

“She was immediately referred to the relevant authorities and consequently to Mount Lebanon's prosecutor who in turn referred her to the relevant judicial authorities,” NNA said.

And after she “tested positive for drug abuse,” Judge Claude Karam decided to release her on the condition that she would undergo another drug test, LBCI television said.

In her preliminary hearing testimony, Asala had denied that the drugs belonged to her, claiming that she did not know who put them in her suitcase.

Sky News Arabia meanwhile quoted “informed sources” as saying that Asala told interrogators that someone was trying to frame her with the aim of “tarnishing her reputation.”

“She expressed dismay over the repeated incidents that aim to insult her and her reputation over her political views every time she visits Lebanon,” the sources added.

The diva was eventually allowed to leave Beirut for Cairo after she “signed a pledge obliging her to undergo a drug test every time she visits Lebanon.”

After she left Beirut's airport, Asala posted an Instagram picture showing her in the plane with the caption “Thank God”.

The Syrian diva, which is known for her anti-Assad stances, was in Lebanon for the annual iftar banquet organized by Eagle Films.