Lebanese authorities announced the arrest of Noah Zaiter, the country's most wanted drug trafficker, who had been hiding from justice for years. He was taken into custody during an operation near Baalbek, a senior military official said. This is stated in the Associated Press material, writes UNN.
Details
According to the official, after a brief standoff, Zaiter surrendered to military intelligence. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The Lebanese army did not officially name the detainee, but indicated his initials, confirming that it was Zaiter.
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The operation was part of a broader campaign against drug networks operating along the porous border with Syria. It was from there that drugs had been entering Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states for years. These countries accuse Hezbollah of playing a significant role in the trade of captagon, a highly addictive drug.
The Lebanese military regularly conducts raids on clandestine factories, trying to restore the trust of Riyadh, which suspended imports from Lebanon in 2021 after discovering shipments of captagon.
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In 2023, the US and UK imposed sanctions on Zaiter for his involvement in the production and smuggling of captagon with Syrian regime associates. Before the Syrian conflict, he was known for large-scale cannabis production and smuggling and frequent media appearances. Zaiter had long-standing close ties with Hezbollah and the Fourth Division of the Syrian army.