Drugs trade a growing force in Lebanon but Hezbollah denies link

Published on Friday 25 December 2009 20:55

LEBANON'S drug-producing heartland is back in business, with a resurgence of marijuana and poppy fields challenging the country's underpowered security forces and adding another dimension to Israel's war with Hezbollah militants.

Interviews with farmers and Lebanese officials – and documents from international organisations that monitor drugs – show that the drug trade in the Bekaa Valley has ramped up again since its drop following the 1975-90 civil war.

Israel's Anti-Drug Authority claims Hezbollah is behind the flow of cross-border drugs as part of its war on the Jewish state.

Hezbollah denies the drugs link, saying it is un-Islamic.

Production in the Bekaa peaked during the civil war, then died down rapidly. But on a recent visit, acres of cannabis were seen growing behind tall corn stalks, and farmers spoke openly of the fortunes they were making from the plants.

The Lebanese government, long preoccupied with violent political clashes within the country, has begun striking back by ploughing up fields.

It is hard to pin down independently what role Hezbollah plays in the trade, but the flat, green Bekaa Valley, with its sunny Mediterranean climate and terrorism-filled history, is a Hezbollah stronghold.

"The accusation is that Hezbollah, given its strong presence in the Bekaa and its unmatched influence there, is heavily involved in the trade, though indirectly, for ideological reasons," said Bilal Saab, a Lebanon expert at the University of Maryland. "However, there is no independent evidence of this involvement."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah strongly denies Israel's charge of "narcoterrorism". Last month, he claimed the Israelis were trying to put a political spin on what in his view is simply a drug operation run by Lebanese drug dealers in collusion with Israeli border guards. Israeli police say that, based on interviews with traffickers, nothing happens on the Lebanon-Israel border without Hezbollah's consent.

Aram Nerguizian, an expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says Hezbollah has enough financial support without depending on drug money, but uses the drug trade to gather intelligence on the Israeli military.

Shamai Golan, a spokesman for Israel's Anti-Drug Authority, agrees that the main goal is to gather intelligence, but says the trade is also a way to weaken Israeli society.

Last year his agency ran an advertising campaign featuring an image of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah wafting out of a smoky pipe with the slogan: "At the end of every joint sits Nasrallah… Drug users are lending a hand to the next terror attack."

Experts say the Lebanon trade is controlled by drug barons under the protection of powerful clans in the Bekaa Valley, largely beyond the reach of Lebanese authorities. About ten families are involved.

Abu Mohammed, a 65-year-old Bekaa farmer who has been in the drug business for 40 years, said he can net $1,200 (752) from 10,000sq ft of land planted with cannabis, much more than other crops would bring in.