Three people have been arrested in Lebanon after police discovered 100,000 Captagon pills the trio planned to smuggle into Saudi Arabia, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) said.
The bust is the latest in a series of drug raids by Lebanese security branches following a ban by Saudi Arabia in April on the import of Lebanese products after thousands of amphetamines were found hidden in pomegranates.
The ISF said on Tuesday it had seized 17.4 kilograms of drugs hidden inside medical equipment sterilisers.
Days earlier, Lebanon seized millions of Captagon pills that were about to be smuggled to Saudi Arabia, Interior Minister Mohamed Fehmi said.
Mr Fehmi has vowed to crack down on drug production and smuggling to win back the confidence of Gulf states, who have long provided crisis-hit Lebanon with financial support.
Saudi Arabia said its two-month-old ban on Lebanese imports will only be lifted when the country shows "adequate and reliable guarantees" that it is cracking down on drug traffickers.
Captagon is a synthetic amphetamine that usually comes in pill form and is popular with fighters in warzones, such as Syria, as well as partygoers.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime last week released a report showing the rise in smuggling of Captagon to the Gulf, saying Saudi Arabia in 2019 seized almost 146 million amphetamine tablets.
Lebanon has increasingly served as one of the main channels for the distribution of drugs across the region since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011.
Lebanese security forces have raided several Captagon production facilities in the Bekaa region, an area dominated by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The group, which has been fighting alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces, has been accused of facilitating the drug trade in connection with the Syrian regime.
Hezbollah’s strengthening grip over the Lebanese government has strained the Mediterranean nation’s ties with its traditional Gulf allies.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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The specs
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Groom and Two Brides
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Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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