Lebanon arrests alleged drug kingpin sanctioned by US State Department

Noah Zaitar allegedly ran a cause empire, producing and exporting narcotics, including the synthetic stimulant captagon.

The Lebanese service has detained the country’s astir infamous cause lord, 2 years aft helium was sanctioned by the United States implicit suspected links to narcotics rings successful Syria.

In a station connected X connected Thursday, the Lebanese service confirmed they had arrested a national with the initials “NZ”, and 3 information sources confirmed to the Reuters quality bureau that the idiosyncratic successful question was the fugitive Noah Zaitar.

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Following a “series of precise information surveillance and monitoring operations”, information forces arrested Zaitar successful an ambush successful the metropolis of Baalbek successful Lebanon’s eastbound Baalbek-Hermel governorate, the Lebanese subject said.

“The detainee is 1 of the astir unsafe wanted individuals, pursuant to a ample fig of apprehension warrants, for crimes of forming gangs operating crossed galore Lebanese regions successful cause and arms trafficking, manufacturing narcotic substances, and robbery and theft by unit of arms,” the subject said.

“He had besides antecedently opened occurrence connected service elements and facilities, arsenic good arsenic citizens’ homes, and kidnapped individuals for fiscal ransom. The probe has commenced with the detainee nether the supervision of the competent judiciary,” it added.

Zaitar allegedly ran a cause empire successful Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley country adjacent the Syrian border, producing and exporting drugs including the synthetic stimulant captagon.

A subject tribunal sentenced Zaitar – who had evaded apprehension for years portion surviving successful his location colony of Kneisseh surrounded by equipped supporters – to decease successful 2024 for sidesplitting a Lebanese soldier.

He was besides named successful US Department of State sanctions successful 2023 against the authorities of ousted Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and individuals connected to his lucrative captagon trafficking network.

The State Department said Zaitar was a “known arms trader and cause smuggler”, with adjacent ties to the Fourth Division of the Syrian Arab Army – an elite portion erstwhile cardinal to the captagon trade.

It besides said Zaitar was wanted for having “materially assisted, sponsored, oregon provided financial, material, oregon technological enactment for, oregon goods oregon services” to the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah.

The apprehension of Zaitar comes amid an ongoing crackdown by Lebanese authorities against cause traffickers successful the country.

In a abstracted station connected X connected Wednesday, the Lebanese subject said 2 soldiers, named arsenic Bilal al-Baradi and Ali Haidar, were killed successful clashes successful Baalbek connected Tuesday arsenic they pursued fugitive narcotics suspects.

تنعى قيادة الجيش ـــ مديرية التوجيه، المعاون الأول الشهيد بلال البرادعي والعريف الشهيد علي حيدر اللذين استشهدا بتاریخ ١٨ /١١ /٢٠٢٥ نتيجة اشتباكات مع مطلوبين أثناء تنفيذ مديرية المخابرات سلسلة عمليات دهم بمؤازرة وحدة من الجيش في منطقة الشراونة – بعلبك.
وفي ما يلي نبذة عن حياة كل… pic.twitter.com/aIw9IjiuYi

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) November 18, 2025

Translation: The Army Command – Directorate of Orientation, mourns the First Assistant Martyr Bilal al-Baradi and Corporal Martyr Ali Haidar, who were martyred connected 18/11/2025 arsenic a effect of clashes with wanted individuals during the execution by the Intelligence Directorate of a bid of raids backed by an Army portion successful the al-Sharawna country – Baalbek. 

The subject said that different Lebanese citizen, referred to by the initials HAJ – and named by the section quality outlet Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International arsenic Hassouneh Jaafar – was changeable and killed aft opening occurrence connected Lebanese information forces during that raid.

The fugitive was wanted successful transportation with the execution of 4 soldiers, arsenic good arsenic kidnapping, robbery, equipped robbery and cause trafficking.

Lebanese authorities besides arrested 2 different men – referred to lone arsenic FM and GQ – for “promoting drugs” and “possessing a quantity of weapons and subject ammunition” successful the Akkar governorate, northbound of Baalbek, adjacent to the Syrian border.