📰 8 sources 9 articles · 1 Nov 2026, 12:11 → 12 days ago

Lebanon foils largest cocaine smuggling attempt at Beirut airport as Salam stresses border control

Lebanese customs and security agencies foiled a large cocaine shipment through Rafic Hariri International Airport, described as the largest drug case in the airport's history, carried by a Syrian traveler arriving from Accra, Ghana. Prime Minister Nawaz Salam said Lebanon's land, sea and air crossings would not be routes for drug smuggling or money laundering, and congratulated the agencies on the operation.

📍 Where things stand: Investigations are ongoing to identify those involved, according to An-Nahar.

⏱️ Timeline

1 Nov 2026, 12:11 A media report addressed the seizure of narcotics at Beirut airport and included a comment by the finance minister on the incident, without details on the quantity, the seizing agency or the circumstances.
1 Nov 2026, 12:52 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaz Salam affirmed that Lebanon's land, sea and air crossings will not be routes for drug smuggling, money laundering or any illegal activities.
1 Nov 2026, 12:54 Salam commented on the seizure of the largest drug shipment at Beirut airport, stressing that Lebanon's crossings would not be an uncontrolled passage, while later reports indicated the shipment was cocaine, amid security measures at the crossings to curb drug smuggling.
1 Nov 2026, 13:39 Lebanese Customs, in cooperation with General Security, announced foiling an attempt to smuggle 46.7 kilograms of cocaine through Rafic Hariri International Airport, the largest drug case in the airport's history, after the shipment arrived with a Syrian traveler coming from Accra, Ghana. Prime Minister Nawaz Salam congratulated both agencies, stressing tighter control at the crossings and preventing Lebanon from being used as a corridor for smuggling and organized crime, while investigations continue to identify those involved.
1 Nov 2026, 14:47 A report said Lebanese General Security foiled an attempt to smuggle about 40 kilograms of cocaine through Rafic Hariri International Airport and arrested a Syrian coming from Accra carrying 40 boxes, while Salam congratulated General Security and Customs on the operation's success and their coordination.
1 Nov 2026, 16:28 A report stated that Lebanese security and customs agencies foiled an attempt to smuggle 46.700 kilograms of cocaine through Rafic Hariri International Airport, the largest drug case in the airport's history, with the shipment carried by a Syrian traveler arriving from Accra, Ghana; Prime Minister Nawaz Salam praised the operation and stressed that Lebanon's crossings would not be a smuggling corridor.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Quantity of cocaine seized

46.7 kilograms according to annahar.com
46.700 kilograms according to الشرق الأوسط
about 40 kilograms according to Anadolu Ajansı

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

Some coverage limited itself to the prime minister's statement on the crossings, while others detailed the operation, the seizing agencies and the shipment's route, with the announced quantity varying between 46.7 kilograms and about 40 kilograms.

Lebanon24 Focused on the finance minister's comment on the narcotics seizure at the airport, without details on the quantity, the seizing agency or the circumstances.
LBCI Lebanon Limited itself to Nawaz Salam's statement that land, sea and air crossings would not be routes for drug smuggling or money laundering, without details on the operation.
aljadeed Presented the statement as a comment on the seizure of "the largest drug shipment at Beirut airport," referring to security measures at the crossings to curb smuggling.
annahar.com Included the operation's details: 46.7 kilograms of cocaine, Customs in cooperation with General Security, a Syrian traveler from Accra, describing it as the largest drug case in the airport's history, along with Salam's congratulations and ongoing investigations.
Anadolu Ajansı Cited "about 40 kilograms" and "40 boxes" and the arrest of a Syrian coming from Accra, highlighting Salam's congratulations to General Security and Customs for their coordination.
الشرق الأوسط Focused on the figure of 46.700 kilograms and described the operation as the largest drug smuggling attempt in the airport's history, along with the shipment's route from Accra and Salam's praise of the operation.