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 Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon.
JoyNews sources said the suspects, two men and a woman, were picked up in separate operations on Tuesday, November 3, by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC). Two were arrested in Accra earlier in the day, while the third was apprehended at about 5:00 p.m.
Intelligence-led arrests
The arrests followed intelligence shared by Lebanese law enforcement authorities as part of investigations into the movement of the consignment from Accra to Beirut.
NACOC said the suspects are being investigated to establish the extent of their alleged involvement in the shipment and to identify other members of the suspected international drug trafficking network.
Beirut seizure
The investigation stems from the arrest of a Syrian national at Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31, after he arrived from Accra with cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.
Lebanese Customs officers said they found 40 packages containing 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine during a search. The drugs were reportedly hidden using sophisticated packaging and insulation materials designed to evade scanning equipment, while electronic tracking devices were also discovered among the packages.
Lebanese authorities described the seizure as the largest drug bust in the history of the airport.
Travel route under investigation
Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing from Syria several weeks earlier, travelled to Accra, and later returned to Beirut with the consignment.
Authorities in Lebanon said investigations were ongoing to identify the intended recipient of the drugs and trace those who organised and facilitated the shipment.
Coordinated operation
NACOC 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 designed to identify and apprehend individuals at both ends of the supply chain, while gathering intelligence to dismantle the wider transnational criminal network.
NACOC added that it was pursuing suspected accomplices in Ghana as investigations continue.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe