Ghanaian narcotics officials have arrested three foreign nationals in connection with a 46.7-kilogramme cocaine shipment intercepted at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon.
The suspects, identified as a Syrian, a Tunisian and a Lebanese national, were arrested in separate operations in Accra on Tuesday, November 3, as investigations intensified to uncover those behind the alleged international drug trafficking operation.
JoyNews sources said two of the suspects were arrested earlier in the day, while the third was apprehended at about 5 p.m.
The arrests were carried out by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) following intelligence shared by Lebanese law enforcement authorities.
The three are being investigated over their suspected roles in facilitating the movement of the cocaine consignment from Accra to Beirut and their possible connections to a wider transnational trafficking network.
The latest arrests follow the seizure of 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31.
Lebanese authorities arrested a Syrian national who arrived from Accra with the drugs concealed in two pieces of luggage.
A search by Lebanese Customs officers uncovered 40 packages containing the cocaine, which had reportedly been wrapped in sophisticated packaging and insulation materials designed to evade detection by scanning equipment.
Electronic tracking devices were also discovered among the packages.
Lebanese authorities described the seizure as the largest drug interception in the history of the airport.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing from Syria several weeks earlier before travelling to Accra and subsequently returning to Beirut with the consignment.
Investigators are working to establish the intended recipient of the cocaine and identify individuals suspected of organising, financing and facilitating its transportation.
Ghana-Lebanon cooperation
NACOC has described the operation as a coordinated controlled-delivery exercise involving Ghanaian and Lebanese drug enforcement authorities.
In a statement issued on November 1, the Commission said the operation was designed to move beyond the seizure of the drugs and identify individuals operating at different stages of the supply chain.
The strategy also involved gathering intelligence to expose and dismantle the wider transnational criminal network.
NACOC said it was pursuing suspected accomplices in Ghana, a process that has now resulted in the arrest of the three foreign nationals.
Investigations are continuing in both countries to establish the full extent of the suspected network and bring all those involved to justice.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
