Lebanons most needed drug trafficker taken into custody

Lebanon’s most needed drug trafficker was arrested Thursday (November 20, 2025) after years on the run, authorities stated.

Noah Zeiter was taken into custody throughout a raid close to the jap metropolis of Baalbeck, in line with a high-ranking navy official. Mr. Zeiter finally turned himself in to navy intelligence after a standoff. The official spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he wasn’t licensed to talk to the media.

The Lebanese military did not disclose Mr. Zeiter’s title, however referred to the captive by his initials.

Lebanon’s military has been cracking down on the nation’s illicit medication community, which frequently transports narcotics via its porous borders with Syria into Saudi Arabia and different Gulf states. The rich monarchies have accused the highly effective Hezbollah group of taking part in a significant position within the commerce of the extremely addictive amphetamine often known as Captagon.

The navy has incessantly raided factories largely situated in jap Lebanon close to the Syrian border in a bid to enhance ties with Riyadh, which suspended imports from the cash-strapped nation in 2021 after discovering Captagon hidden in shipments coming into the dominion.

Mr. Zeiter was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom in 2023 for his alleged involvement within the manufacturing and smuggling of Captagon alongside family and shut associates of the Assad dynasty in Syria.

For years, Mr. Zeiter has been on the run from Lebanese authorities. Prior to the battle in Syria in 2011, he was recognized for producing and smuggling giant quantities of hashish and made occasional media appearances. Mr. Zeiter is shut with Hezbollah and Syria’s Fourth Division below the now-ousted Assad authorities.

Under Syria’s new rulers, the federal government has been destroying the remnants of Captagon factories within the nation that flourished throughout the battle. Security officers there say they proceed to bust smuggling makes an attempt alongside the border with Lebanon.

Lebanon and Syria have slowly been making an attempt to enhance ties following Assad’s downfall in a lightning insurgency in December 2024, and hope to resolve issues alongside the porous border.