A Lebanese influencer known as Dr Food has been arrested as part of a drugs case, more than two years after a judge accused him of involvement in smuggling.
Dr Food - real name Georges Dib - has more than 8.5 million followers on his food channel on TikTok and sells a line of branded confectionery and pastries.
His business dealings have been under scrutiny since at least 2024, when a Lebanese judge issued an arrest warrant relating to "manufacturing, trafficking and smuggling drugs abroad". The judge, Ziad Al Daghidi, subsequently filed charges.
A Syrian suspect was also being sought after sweets and food items were seized at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport. Authorities said they were "stuffed with drugs" intended for export to the Gulf.
On Sunday, Lebanon's Internal Security Forces announced they had arrested Dr Food in a raid on his home in northern Lebanon's Akkar governorate. They said there were two warrants out against him.
The arrest followed a month of surveillance, the security forces said. "The suspect would film his content and then deliberately leave his place of residence, frequently changing the vehicles and phone numbers he used in an attempt to evade surveillance and prevent the authorities from locating him," they said.
"However, following continued investigative efforts, the responsible unit succeeded in locating and arresting him." Reports last month said a life sentence had been issued against Dr Food, but he was not in court to hear it. He continued to post videos on TikTok.
Dr Food's personal life has also come under scrutiny. In 2022 he married a fellow social media personality who posts under the name Shrouq Sunshine and has almost twice his TikTok following.
On Sunday, her Instagram account shared images of a "divorce party" after the relationship ended. Dr Food's most recent post appeared to address claims of violence against her, saying he had "documents and evidence" he was willing to present in court.
Along with Syria and Iraq, Lebanon has been hard-pushed to stamp out a drugs trade supplying Gulf markets in recent years.
In January, Lebanese authorities dismantled a drugs lab in Baalbek after an intelligence tip-off provided by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior. Last September, they seized 64 million Captagon pills and 79 barrels of chemicals in one of Lebanon's largest drugs busts.
