The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced that it has foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons and ammunitions from Syria, and confiscated the arms transported on board a four-wheel drive vehicle.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the ISF stated that “as part of their mission to combat crime in all its forms, an operation carried out by their units led, on January 11, to the arrest of an individual driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee on the Dahr el-Baidar road, which links the Bekaa region to Beirut. During the check, the car was seized after the ISF discovered a substantial stock of weapons and ammunition.
The cargo contained rifles, pistols, magazines and ammunition. The suspect was immediately referred to ISF’s Information Branch for further interrogation.
During the interrogation, the apprehended suspect, identified by his initials, A.R., a Lebanese born in 1982, quickly confessed that he was transporting weapons from Syria to Lebanon in the company of another individual, B.F., also Lebanese, born in 1987.
He explained that, after colliding with a pedestrian at the Syrian customs checkpoint, B.F. was forced to get out of the vehicle at the Lebanese border.
On January 13, following investigations and surveillance, ISF personnel successfully arrested the second suspect in the city of Aley. During interrogation, he not only admitted his involvement in the attempted smuggling operation, but also confessed to having taken part in five other similar operations.
“Upon interrogation, he admitted to participating in the arms smuggling operation but claimed he hesitated to continue the journey after the customs incident,” the statement added.
Legal action was taken against the two suspects, and the case was referred to the relevant judicial authorities.
The ISF further disclosed that the two suspects had been involved in at least five similar smuggling operations, and efforts are ongoing to track down additional individuals linked to the network.
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