(Xinhua) — Lebanon’s state security on Friday arrested 82 people and a human smuggler who were planning to illegally migrate by sea to Europe, the Elnashra news website reported.
The security forces raided a resort in al-Qalamoun in northern Lebanon, where the 82 people were gathered in preparation for their migration by sea for 5,000 U.S. dollars per person. The state security also arrested a Lebanese national involved in the smuggling of these people, and they were all transferred to judicial bodies for investigations and other legal procedures.
Lebanon has been facing an unprecedented financial crisis with the poverty rate standing at around 78 percent, prompting Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees to seek ways of leaving the country.
