Lebanon cocaine bust: Three foreign nationals arrested in Ghana

Three foreign nationals — a Syrian, a Tunisian and a Lebanese — have been arrested in Ghana in connection with the seizure of 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. The arrests form part of investigations into the movement of the consignment from Accra to Beirut and efforts to identify others suspected of involvement in the international drug trafficking network.

JoyNews sources said the suspects, comprising two men and a woman, were picked up in separate operations on Tuesday, November 3. Two were arrested earlier in the day in Accra, while the third was apprehended at about 5 p.m. They were arrested by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) following intelligence shared by Lebanese law enforcement authorities.

The suspects are being investigated to establish the extent of their alleged involvement in the shipment and the wider trafficking network. Cocaine concealed in luggage The investigation follows the arrest of a Syrian national at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31, after he arrived from Accra with cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.

Lebanese Customs authorities said officers discovered 40 packages containing a total of 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine during a search of the passenger’s luggage. The drugs were reportedly concealed using sophisticated packaging and insulation materials intended to evade detection by scanning equipment. Electronic tracking devices were also found among the packages.

Lebanese authorities described the seizure as the largest drug bust in the history of the airport. Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing from Syria several weeks earlier before travelling to Accra and returning with the consignment. The authorities said investigations were continuing to identify the intended recipient of the drugs and to trace those who had organised and facilitated the shipment.

NACOC has maintained that the arrest in Lebanon resulted from a coordinated controlled-delivery operation involving Ghanaian and Lebanese drug law enforcement agencies. In a statement issued on November 1, the commission said the operation was intended to identify and apprehend individuals at both ends of the supply chain while gathering intelligence to dismantle the wider transnational criminal network.

It also said it was pursuing suspected accomplices in Ghana.