Saudi Prince Detained in Beirut For Carrying Drugs

Saudi Prince Detained in Beirut For Carrying Drugs

Saudi prince and four others were detained at the Beirut airport after they were found carrying two tons of the amphetamine fenethylline.  According to the Lebanon’s official National News Agency, the seizure was one of the largest fenethylline busts yet.

The security source said the drugs had been packed into cases that were waiting to be loaded onto a private plane which was headed to Saudi Arabia. It carried 40 suitcases full of Captagon. Captagon is the brand name used for amphetamine fenethylline and the banned drug is mostly consumed in the Middle East and is also allegedly used by fighters in Syria.

Although this drug was introduced in the 1960s as a treatment for  hyperactivity, narcolepsy and depression but was subsequently banned due to its addictive properties.