The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested three foreign nationals in Ghana in connection with the seizure of 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon.

The suspects, comprising two men and a woman of Syrian, Tunisian and Lebanese nationalities, were arrested in separate intelligence-led operations on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, following information shared by Lebanese law enforcement authorities.

According to JoyNews, two of the suspects were arrested in Accra earlier in the day while the third was apprehended at about 5 PM.

The arrests form part of investigations by Ghanaian and Lebanese security agencies to establish the suspects’ alleged roles in the shipment and identify others connected to the wider international drug trafficking network.

The case follows the arrest of a Syrian national at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31, after he arrived from Accra aboard a Middle East Airlines flight with cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.

Lebanese Customs authorities said a search of the luggage uncovered 40 packages containing 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine. The drugs had been concealed using sophisticated packaging and insulation materials intended to evade detection by scanning equipment.

Electronic tracking devices were also found among the packages. Lebanese authorities described the seizure as the largest drug bust in the history of the airport.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing from Syria several weeks earlier before travelling to Accra and subsequently returning to Beirut with the consignment.

Investigators are working to identify the intended recipient of the cocaine and establish who organised and facilitated the shipment.

Controlled-delivery operation

NACOC has said the arrest in Beirut resulted from a coordinated controlled-delivery operation conducted in collaboration with Lebanese drug enforcement authorities.

In a statement issued on November 1, the commission said the exercise was intended to identify and apprehend individuals at both ends of the drug supply chain while gathering intelligence to dismantle the wider transnational criminal network.

The commission also indicated that it was pursuing suspected accomplices in Ghana.