The Lebanese Internal Security Forces Directorate announced Sunday that it has foiled an attempt to smuggle approximately 5,000 Captagon pills to Saudi Arabia through a shipping company. This new operation comes amid intensified Lebanese measures to combat drug trafficking to the Gulf and other Arab countries.
In a statement, the ISF said that on July 17, 2026, the Central Narcotics Control Bureau received information regarding preparations to smuggle narcotics to Saudi Arabia via a shipping company.
Following surveillance and tracking, the bureau arrested the individual transporting the parcel while it was being delivered to the shipping company.
Upon inspection, approximately 5,000 Captagon pills were seized, professionally hidden inside a vase crate.
The investigation is continuing under the supervision of the competent judiciary to arrest all other involved parties.
President Joseph Aoun had stressed that combating narcotics is a priority, calling for intensified efforts to control trafficking and smuggling operations and for cooperation among the relevant agencies to confront this scourge.
The Lebanese measures carry particular significance in light of a 2021 Saudi decision to suspend the entry of Lebanese products into the Kingdom, following the foiling of repeated attempts to smuggle Captagon from Lebanon.
Riyadh reversed its decision on June 10 when Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, directed the resumption of Lebanese exports to the Kingdom, at the request of President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and in light of what Saudi Arabia described as positive steps taken by the Lebanese government and its measures to rebuild state institutions.
Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar had confirmed that Saudi Arabia's decision to resume exports resulted from a series of Lebanese measures, including border control, combating narcotics, dismantling smuggling networks, and adopting scanner devices for inspection.
He underscored the Lebanese state's commitment to making every effort to prevent the recurrence of smuggling operations.
