Lebanon announces 6.5M Captagon pills seized: What to know
Lebanese authorities said they are coordinating with their neighbors to dismantle the drug trade as neighboring Syria steps up its own efforts following border clashes.
Lebanon announced the seizure of 6.5 million Captagon pills on Monday, targeting a drug network allegedly stretching from Turkey to Jordan and Australia as regional anti-narcotics efforts ramp up.
Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar said the pills, along with 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds) of hashish, were seized in the Beirut port before they were able to make their way to the intended destination, Saudi Arabia, the official National News Agency reported.
Hajjar said the operation dismantled a drug network spanning Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Australia, and added that Lebanese authorities are coordinating with their Syrian and Saudi counterparts on counter-narcotics efforts, according to the agency.
The relevant authorities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Australia did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor’s request for comment. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of an emergency summit in Qatar on Monday, though the readouts from the Lebanese presidency did not specify what exactly was discussed.
