BEIRUT: A 28-year-old Brazilian man was stopped Monday by Customs officers for allegedly attempting to smuggle 2 kilograms of cocaine through the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut.
A source at the airport that the cocaine, in vacuum-sealed plastic bags, was hidden in two pieces of luggage which were put in a bigger suitcase.
The alleged smuggler, who had just arrived in Beirut from Brazil via Ethiopia, was interrogated by Customs officials before being referred to the Central Anti-Drug Bureau, the source said.
Airport authorities have recently stepped up efforts to thwart the smuggling of drugs through the facility. Last month they arrested a Peruvian national who swallowed a quantity of condoms filled with liquid cocaine.