A Syrian passenger carrying 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine from Accra, Ghana, was arrested at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon on Saturday, October 31, 2026. The Lebanese General Directorate of Customs has described the bust as the largest drug seizure in the history of the airport.
Customs authorities in Lebanon have explained that preliminary investigations have revealed that the Syrian passenger identified by his initials as B.H., who arrived from Accra, Ghana, aboard Middle East Airlines flight MEA 576 with the 46.7 kg of cocaine had initially entered Lebanon from Syria weeks prior using the Masnaa border, before flying out to Accra to pick up the shipment.
This, the authorities said suggested he had been tasked with transporting and delivering the drugs as part of an organised smuggling operation.
The Lebanese customs authorities said it found out that the cocaine was concealed using sophisticated packaging and insulation techniques designed to evade detection by scanning equipment.
They seized the 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine at Beirut’s airport in what they described as the largest drug bust in the airport’s history.
In a statement, the General Directorate of Customs in Lebanon said the operation was carried out late Saturday (Oct 31, 2026), in coordination with the Lebanese General Security, following security monitoring and intelligence gathering.
According to the statement, customs officers searched the passenger’s luggage at the airport after receiving information and conducting field surveillance.
They discovered 40 packages of cocaine concealed using sophisticated packaging and insulation techniques designed to evade detection by scanning equipment. Electronic tracking devices were also found inside the packages.
It said it has been revealed that the suspect had entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing several weeks earlier before traveling to Accra and returning with the cocaine shipment, suggesting he had been tasked with transporting and delivering the drugs as part of an organised smuggling operation.
The suspect was arrested, and the drugs and other seized items were confiscated.
It said customs authorities, in coordination with General Security and under the supervision of the competent judiciary, are continuing their investigations to identify the shipment's intended recipient, determine who dispatched and transported it, and track down other individuals involved.
The General Directorate of Customs said the quantity of cocaine seized, the sophisticated concealment methods and the presence of electronic tracking devices highlighted the seriousness of the operation and the level of preparation involved.
It reaffirmed its commitment to round-the-clock monitoring, inspections, and anti-smuggling efforts in coordination with relevant security agencies to prevent drugs from entering Lebanon and protect the public from their dangers.
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Meanwhile in Ghana, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has said it was pursuing suspected accomplices in Ghana following the arrest of the Syrian at Beirut in Lebanon after transporting the cocaine through the Accra International Airport.
According to NACOC it was involved in an operation designed to identify and apprehend persons involved at both ends of the drug supply chain. It said it was also intended to gather intelligence to help dismantle the wider international criminal network behind the shipment.
Attached below is a full copy of the NACOC statement issued in Accra
A SYRIAN ARRESTED AT BEIRUT AIRPORT
The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) confirms the arrest of a Syrian national on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, following his arrival from Accra, Ghana, with approximately 40 kilograms of suspected cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.
As part of ongoing operation, NACOC is working to arrest his accomplices in Ghana.
This successful apprehension resulted from a coordinated controlled delivery exercise, carried out through close operational cooperation between Ghanaian and Lebanese drug law enforcement authorities.
The joint operation aimed to identify and apprehend targets at both ends of the supply chain while gathering vital intelligence to dismantle the broader transnational criminal syndicate behind the shipment.
This operation underscores Ghana and Lebanon's collaborative commitment to disrupting international drug trafficking networks through cross-border intelligence-sharing.
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