ALBAWABA - Lebanese content creator Dr. Food has been sentenced to life in absentia in a major drug smuggling case.
The Mount Lebanon Criminal Court issued a verdict in absentia, sentencing Lebanese content creator George Hanna Dib, known as "Dr. Food," and a group of other defendants to life imprisonment with hard labor in a drug manufacturing and smuggling case, according to Lebanese media.
The verdict included several defendants, whom the court convicted under Article 150 of the Narcotics Law. In addition to the life sentence, the court ruling included a fine of 120 million Lebanese pounds for each of the convicted individuals, along with the stripping of their civil rights.
Drug Smuggling in Chocolate Bars
According to media reports, this verdict follows the investigation initiated by Mount Lebanon Investigating Judge Ziad Daghidi, who revealed in his indictment the details of the network that exploited the "Dr. Food" brand to smuggle hashish.
Investigations revealed that the defendants manufactured slabs of pure hashish and packaged them inside chocolate wafer packets, identical in appearance and specifications, for shipment from Lebanon through Turkey to other countries. They exploited Dr. Food's fame and digital influence to facilitate these operations.
An arrest warrant in absentia was issued for Dr. Food
Dib has over 5 million followers on TikTok, where his posts primarily focus on food reviews.
Local media had previously reported that a shipment of wafers filled with drugs, bearing the Dr. Food brand, was seized en route to Turkey. However, Dr. Food stated in an initial investigation that the brand was counterfeit. He also admitted to drug use during questioning.
On May 21, 2024, a Lebanese judge issued an arrest warrant in absentia for the TikToker on charges of "manufacturing, trafficking, and smuggling drugs abroad."
