Nouh Zaiter (Arabic: نوح زعيتر) is a Lebanese drug lord and a leader of an armed militia in the Beqaa Valey, involved in drug trafficking and arms dealing in Lebanon and the Middle East. He's often in the news due to his alleged connections with Hezbollah[1] and the Syrian regime,[2] and his involvement in the drug trade,[2] particularly Captagon.
Nouh Zaiter | |
|---|---|
 Nouh Zaiter in 2019 | |
| Born | 1977 Taablaya, Zahle |
| Nationality |  Lebanon |
| Occupation | Drug dealer |
| Organization | Al Qalaa brigades |
| Known for | Captagon and Cannabis trade |
| Spouse | Samira Hussein Al-Hajj |
Early life
editNouh Zaiter was born on 1977[3] in the village of Taalbaya in the Zahle District.[4] He studied for a year at the American University of Beirut (AUB)[5] where he only completed a course in National Security. In 1991, he fled to Switzerland and returned to Lebanon in 1995.
Career
editZaiter allegedly has strong ties with Hezbollah and is known to work under the umbrella of the group. He is believed to be directly involved in financing the group through illegal activities such as drug trade, prostitution, and extortion.[6] On 28 March 2023, the U.S. Treasury, in collaboration with the UK, imposed sanctions on Syrian and Lebanese individuals, including Zaiter, suspected of involvement in the production and export of Captagon, a dangerous amphetamine. The trade in Captagon is described as a billion-dollar illicit enterprise, with Lebanese drug traffickers, some with ties to Hezbollah and the Assad regime, playing a significant role in facilitating its export.[7] Fenethylline is a popular drug in Western Asia, and American media outlet CNN reported in 2015 that it is allegedly used by militant groups in Syria.[8] Later research demonstrated that it was the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad that has been financing Captagon production and sponsoring networks of its drug dealers in coordination with the Syrian intelligence.[9]
Zaiter's drug clan frequently clash with the Lebanese Army and a rival clan, al-Jaafar, in the Beqaa Valey.[10] The Zaiter and Al Jaafar clans have been associated with criminal activities in the Al Sharawneh neighborhood, where they exert control.
Personal life and family
editZaiter is currently married to Samira Hussein Al-Hajj. In social media Nouh Zaiter portrays himself as a Muslim and a charitable man however a number of cases of abuse have surfaced [11]
In May 2021, Hussein Zaiter, Nouh's nephew, was implicated in smuggling drugs to Kuwait and was sentenced to 90 years in prison.[12] In July 2022, his son was arrested while working in Keserwan.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Lebanon's Drug Baron, Noah Zaiter & Samira Hussein Al-Haj Abuse and Enslave Kamaru". thisislebanon.site/. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
- ^ a b ماجد, غنوة (2024-11-01). "حقيقة اغتيال نوح زعيتر تتصدر الترند في لبنان". قناة ومنصة المشهد. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
- ^ "ما حقيقة مقتل "بارون" المخدرات نوح زعيتر بغارة إسرائيلية على لبنان؟". syria.tv.
- ^ Khoury, Issam (2023-04-04). "The Captagon trade and Syria". Issam Khoury. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ أحمد, عدنان (2024-11-01). "محامي نوح زعيتر ينفي شائعات اغتياله في بيان رسمي". عدن نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-11-03.
- ^ "ANALYSIS: Hezbollah's Gangsters—Financing the Militias through Drugs, Prostitution and Extortion". The Milli Chronicle. 2019-12-15. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ "US sanctions Syrian and Hezbollah suspects over Captagon trade". Naharnet. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Todd B, McConnell D (21 November 2015). "Syria fighters may be fueled by amphetamines". CNN. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ "The Syrian Economy at War: Captagon, Hashish, and the Syrian Narco-State". Center for Operational Analysis and Research. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023.
Whereas attention has been lavished on drug use among combatants, little attention has been paid to the societal and individual costs of the pervasive spread of narcotics during the conflict. Even more neglected are the structural dynamics of drug trafficking and their impact on the trajectory of the conflict itself. As the Syrian state has re-consolidated control over much of the country since 2018, narcotics trafficking in Syria has become more expansive and widespread. In parallel, the decimation of conventional economic activities has increased the relative attractiveness of industrial-scale drug profiteering, which has been largely captured and controlled by narco-entrepreneurs linked to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's foreign allies. Ironically, the armed group commonly thought to be most closely associated with the Captagon trade — Islamic State — is, in fact, among the few conflict actors that has had no demonstrable institutional connection to the trade of this drug. This association has persisted in large part because of sensational foreign media coverage. the narcotics trade was decisively reconfigured to the advantage of pro-Government forces. Increasingly prominent in this period are narco-entrepreneurs affiliated with the Assad regime. Record-setting foreign drug interceptions since 2018 evince the evolution of Syria's drug industry, with exports of Captagon and hashish suggesting new levels of mass production.
- ^ https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1332586/army-zeaiter-family-members-exchange-gunfire-in-bekaa.html
- ^ "Lebanon's Drug Baron, Noah Zaiter & Samira Hussein Al-Haj Abuse and Enslave Kamaru". thisislebanon.site/. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ JEAN FEGHALI (17-May-2021) From pomegranate shipment in Saudi Arabia to Nouh Zaiter’s nephew in Kuwait sawtbeirut.com
- ^ "Noah Zaiter's Son Was Just Arrested In Keserwan, Lebanon". 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2024-05-26.