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Lebanon Beset by Kidnapping,Drugs and Jabhat al-Nusra

Instability, kidnapping and terrorism have taken hold of Lebanon during a period of turbulence exacerbated by the civil war in neighboring Syria, writes Jean Aziz.
A Lebanese customs employee displays a packet of confiscated hashish stamped with a Lebanese cedar in Beirut May 27, 2009. Lebanese Internal Security forces and Lebanese Customs anti-drugs trafficking division seized a total of 85 kg (187 lbs) of hashish hidden in a refrigerated container that was supposed to be smuggled into the Netherlands. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir   (LEBANON SOCIETY CRIME LAW) - RTXOFL7
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It is hard to keep track of the crises currently gripping Lebanon. There is a political crisis leading up to shaky parliamentary elections, a governmental crisis against the backdrop of war in neighboring Syria and an economic crisis amid labor demands and a series of strikes. In addition, the security crisis has been accompanied by peculiar incidents involving kidnapping, drug trafficking and prison riots.

The kidnapping trade

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