The Turkish pistols which were seized in two trucks, after being loaded at the port of Tripoli earlier this week, are being converted into military weapons, according to a security source who spoke to This is Beirut on condition of anonymity.
The weapon-laden trucks were intercepted in less than 24 hours on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday in the Batroun caza and in Tripoli.
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The high-ranking security source confirmed to This is Beirut that the pistols “were readapted and converted into military firearms by a smuggling network, then sold in Lebanon through these gangs.”
The source also indicated that “there is no smuggling of military weapons into Lebanon or any attempt to arm certain groups, but we are confronted with smuggling networks and arms dealers in a limited way.”
He added that “the security services are hunting these networks, most of which are known to them.”
The same source explained that “this type of weapons represents a danger both to the bearer and to others.”
They are being sold on the market for $100 – $200.
This is not the first time that Turkish pistols have been smuggled into Lebanon through networks involving Lebanese, Turks, Palestinians and Syrians, usually via the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon.
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