Three foreign nationals—a Syrian, a Tunisian, and a Lebanese—have been arrested in Ghana in connection with the seizure of 46.7 kilograms of cocaine at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. These arrests are part of an investigation into the movement of the consignment from Accra to Beirut and efforts to identify others suspected of involvement in the international drug trafficking network.
According to sources from JoyNews, the suspects, consisting of two men and one woman, were apprehended in separate operations on Tuesday, November 3. Two individuals were arrested earlier in the day in Accra, while the third was taken into custody around 5 p.m. The arrests were made by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) following intelligence shared by Lebanese law enforcement authorities. The suspects are currently being investigated to determine the extent of their alleged involvement in the shipment and the broader trafficking network.
Cocaine concealed in luggage
The investigation follows the arrest of a Syrian national at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31, after arriving from Accra with cocaine concealed in two suitcases. According to Lebanese Customs authorities, officers discovered 40 packages containing 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine during a search of his luggage. The drugs had reportedly been concealed using sophisticated packaging and insulation materials designed to prevent detection by scanning equipment. Electronic tracking devices were also found among the packages.
Lebanese authorities described the seizure as the largest drug interception in the airport’s history. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing from Syria several weeks earlier before travelling to Accra and subsequently returning with the consignment. Investigators are continuing efforts to establish the intended recipient of the drugs and identify those responsible for organising and facilitating the shipment.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has maintained that the arrest in Lebanon was the outcome of a coordinated controlled-delivery operation involving Ghanaian and Lebanese drug enforcement agencies. In a statement issued on November 1, the commission explained that the operation was designed to identify and apprehend individuals operating at both ends of the supply chain, while gathering intelligence to dismantle the wider transnational criminal network. NACOC also disclosed that efforts were underway to track down suspected accomplices in Ghana.
