Exclusive - Lebanon’s Ailing Economy Shredded Further by Smuggling from Syriahttps://english.aawsat.com/home/article/1731191/exclusive-lebanon%E2%80%99s-ailing-economy-shredded-further-smuggling-syria
Exclusive - Lebanon’s Ailing Economy Shredded Further by Smuggling from Syria
Vehicles are seen at Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
A great part of the economic quagmire drowning Lebanon can be traced back to the spillover of smuggled goods across border with Syria. Data showed that nearly $600 million slip past the Lebanese treasury due to trafficking.
Goods brought in illegally, sold at much cheaper prices, have created jaw-dropping profit margins of which the market suffered its fallout. But with Lebanon and Syria sharing a 375 km land border, taking border control to full-throttle may be too difficult to materialize with Lebanon’s current resources.
Curbing this phenomenon is being discussed along with austerity and reform measures needed to salvage Lebanon’s economy from total collapse.
Asharq Al-Awsat toured the border regions and met with locals to discuss the smuggling operations and official efforts to curb them
While transit at border customs gates appears quite normal, residents of mountainous highlands mock official statements, asserting that smuggling between Lebanon and Syria has never stopped, no matter what security measures are enforced.
“Mules know the way, and do not need official documents to cross customs. They are often used to bringing supplies across borders,” a Lebanese local, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He explained that smuggled goods are loaded on the mules, which are left to wander in the barren terrain separating the two countries. The smugglers monitor the animals, which are either noticed and seized by security forces – marking the failure of the illegal operation – or they successfully wander into the neighboring country and seized by the smugglers.
Mules and small luggage are trifles compared to the ambitions of more powerful professional smugglers.
Convoys of trucks, led by their leader in a vehicle with tinted windows, regularly shuttle goods across legal and illegal border crossings into the Lebanese market. The operations are boosted by the absence of state control over vast parts of the border and the deployment of de facto forces in these regions.
“Business is booming,” a smuggling ring coordinator, who operates from Lebanon’s Hermel, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he admitted to making a few thousand dollars daily in brokerage fees for helping smugglers make their journey safely. They are being supported by a network of corrupt security officials and partisan forces that control border regions.
“The model of smuggling that exists today can be traced back to the 70s, 80s and during the period of Syrian tutelage,” a retired military official told Asharq Al-Awsat.
At the Masnaa border crossing, goods are smuggled after pro-Syrian regime intelligence officers are bribed. The bribes are often paid in Syrian pounds.
He added that smuggling from Lebanon into Syria is not illegal, as much as it is harmful to the economy. He also spoke of the smuggling of oil derivatives from Lebanon to its neighbor given a sharp shortage crippling Syria.
A farmer in the town of Ferzol in the Bekaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that smuggled goods from Syria, such as fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat and cigarettes, are severely harming competition in Lebanon as they are often sold at much lower prices than local produce.
As for government efforts to rein in smugglers, Lebanon’s Supreme Defense Council decided in April to tighten border control, whether by closing illegal portals or cracking down on culprits by customs center staffers.
Many security experts have, however, deemed shuttering borders implausible given geopolitical realities and the ongoing war in neighboring Syria.
Jamal Mustafa to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Couldn’t Provide Bribe Demanded by Judge, So I Was Jailed for Another 10 Yearshttps://english.aawsat.com/features/5085869-jamal-mustafa-asharq-al-awsat-i-couldn%E2%80%99t-provide-bribe-demanded-judge-so-i-was
Jamal Mustafa to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Couldn’t Provide Bribe Demanded by Judge, So I Was Jailed for Another 10 Years
Saddam Hussein and Jamal Mustafa Sultan.
In the final installment of his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Jamal Mustafa Sultan, a former Iraqi official and Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law, delves into his arrest, the collapse of hopes for resistance against US forces, and the turmoil that followed the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Mustafa faced a harsh journey during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. He traveled to rally tribal leaders to defend Baghdad, only to return and find the city occupied. Declared a fugitive, his face appeared on the US “most-wanted” playing cards.
Mustafa fled to Syria but was denied asylum and sent back to Iraq, where he was arrested. Accused of leading resistance and car bombings, the court found no evidence to convict him.
In 2011, a judge offered him release in exchange for a bribe, which Mustafa could not afford. His proposal to sell family land to pay was rejected, leaving him imprisoned for another decade. He was eventually freed over lack of evidence.
A US soldier watches the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad on April 7, 2003. (Reuters)
After his release, Mustafa went to Erbil, where Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani invited him for a meeting. Barzani welcomed him warmly and asked how he could help. Mustafa requested assistance in obtaining a passport, praising Barzani’s generosity.
Mustafa shared that Saddam respected Barzani, once calling him a “tough but honorable opponent.” He also revealed that, before the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, Barzani had assured Saddam that Kurdish forces would not fight the Iraqi army.
Recalling the lead-up to the war, Mustafa said Saddam tasked him with reconnecting with tribal leaders to encourage them to resist the invasion.
He delivered personal messages from Saddam, along with financial support, to help tribes host Iraqi soldiers stationed nearby. Mustafa later traveled to the Anbar province to rally tribes and bring them to defend Baghdad.
This account offers a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes efforts to resist the US invasion and the complex relationships that shaped Iraq’s history.
As the US invasion loomed, Mustafa met with thousands of tribal leaders to rally support for Baghdad’s defense.
“During the war, I met with over 4,500 tribal sheikhs from across Iraq,” he said. But when he returned to Baghdad after a trip to Anbar, everything had changed. “The city had fallen, and everything was in chaos.”
Mustafa tried to locate his associates but found no one. On April 11, 2003, he sent his driver to search for allies.
By chance, his brother, Lt. Gen. Kamal Mustafa, located him. “He told me we needed to leave Baghdad. I hadn’t planned to leave, but he convinced me it was the logical choice—we had no weapons, no men, and no resources. Staying would only mean capture.”
The brothers fled to Ramadi, where tribal leaders offered them refuge, and from there, they attempted to seek asylum in Syria. After just two days, Syrian authorities sent them back to Iraq.
Back in Baghdad, Mustafa and Khalid Najm, Iraq’s last intelligence chief, stayed with a university friend, Dr. Hafidh Al-Dulaimi. While there, Al-Dulaimi’s nephew suggested surrendering to Ahmed Chalabi’s forces, but Mustafa refused.
Saddam Hussein meets with top members of his regime. (Getty Images)
Shortly after, armed men stormed the house. “They came with tanks and masks,” Mustafa recalled. He and Najm were arrested on April 21, 2003—a day he will never forget.
Mustafa shared his experiences in US detention after his capture. “The interrogations were relentless, often involving psychological and physical pressure,” he added.
“They focused on weapons of mass destruction—’did Iraq have them, and where were they?’ Everyone faced the same questions. They also asked about US pilot Michael Scott Speicher, whose plane was shot down during the Gulf War. Though his remains were later found, the Americans kept questioning us, believing more was being hidden.”
Life in the detention center was highly controlled. Detainees were grouped in blocks of seven and given 30 minutes of outdoor time. Sultan recalled a chilling moment when Ahmed Hussein, Saddam’s office chief, told him during exercise: “The president has been captured.”
“We had clung to hope that Saddam’s freedom could lead to Iraq’s liberation,” Mustafa said. “His arrest shattered that hope and signaled the occupation’s permanence.”
He also described mysterious construction in the prison. “We saw carpenters working constantly. Eventually, they built a wooden barrier, blocking the corridor from view. We could only guess what it was for.”
When asked if Saddam had led the resistance before his capture, Mustafa confirmed: “Yes, the resistance began after the war. It wasn’t planned in advance because, at that time, the focus was purely military—army against army.”
“After the occupation, a new phase started. Battles unfolded in stages, and Saddam was leading the resistance during this one. He was the hope of the resistance, of the Iraqi people, and of Arabs and Muslims,” Mustafa revealed.
His remarks offer a glimpse into the post-invasion dynamics and the symbolic role Saddam played during Iraq’s turbulent transition.
Mustafa also recounted the difficulty of reaching his family after his arrest.
“After my capture, I lost all contact with my family. I didn’t have any phone numbers for my brothers, friends, or colleagues. Even if I had, phone lines had been disrupted—many exchanges had been bombed, and communication in Iraq was severely impacted,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Mustafa recalled an encounter with the International Red Cross during his detention.
Saddam Hussein and his daughter Hala. (Courtesy of the family)
“The Red Cross offered me the chance to write a message to my family, as is their usual practice. But I was at a loss—who could I write to? I had no idea where my brothers or family were. I didn’t know anything about their whereabouts.”
Then, Mustafa had an idea. “I thought of Ammo Baba, a well-known football coach in Iraq. I didn’t know his address, but I remembered the address of the Police Club, where I had been president. I decided to write the letter there, addressed to Ammo Baba, asking him to pass it on to my family.”
Mustafa’s story highlights the communication challenges and isolation faced by detainees during the Iraq War.
He then described the prolonged separation from his family following his arrest. “I had no hopes of hearing from my family when I sent my letter through Ammo Baba,” Mustafa said.
“The situation was too difficult. After two and a half to three months, I received a response from Ammo Baba. He sent his regards, inquired about my health, and included a message from Yassin, a coach who worked with me. Along with the letter, they sent me sportswear—a shirt and shorts.”
Mustafa’s communication with his family may have been limited, but the letter served as a lifeline.
“A couple of years later, I received the first message from my wife, Hala, after two years in detention.”
Jamal Mustafa Sultan with his children.
When asked if he had been separated from his family for 18 years, Mustafa confirmed: “Yes, I hadn’t seen them or my children for 18 and a half years.”
“There were no visits or conversations, except for a brief period when we were held by the Americans. During that time, they allowed us five minutes a week to speak with our families. I would split the time—two and a half minutes with my mother and siblings, and the rest with my wife and daughters,” he said.
However, he revealed that after 2010, communication was cut off entirely.
“When we were transferred to Iraqi custody, they stopped allowing any contact. I was careful not to make calls with the Iraqis, as I feared enemies or foreign agents could record them,” explained Mustafa.
Mustafa’s story underscores the isolation he endured and the limited means of contact with his loved ones during years of detention.
