(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Egyptian security officials foiled a plan to smuggle 3.5 tons of hashish from Lebanon to Libya on Monday, according to a statement by Lebanon’s Anti-Drug bureau of the Judicial Police.
The drugs were being transported from Lebanon to a ship called “Mare Ta Queen,” which was docked just outside Lebanon’s regional waters, according to Beirut-based newspaper An-Nahar.
Judicial Police say the ship was headed to Tobruq, a port city on Libya’s eastern Mediterranean coast, but was stopped by Egyptian officials near the coast of Damietta.
Authorities confiscated the ship’s cargo and detained all those on board.
Investigations are underway to locate the drug gang in Lebanon, which sources say most likely originates from the Bekaa Valley.
The latest smuggling operation comes just a few hours after drugs were found on two Venezuelan nationals who were attempting to travel to Lebanon with four kilograms of cocaine.
Security officials say they were arrested at Turkey’s Istanbul airport before arriving in Lebanon.
According to VICE News, Lebanon’s feuding militias are still using drugs as a source of income. Under international pressure, the Lebanese government is cracking down on smaller cannabis farmers, while drug lords continue to act with impunity.
WATCH more on hash farms in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley: