Lebanon is globally known for its production of hashish. Many small hash consumers fear daily that they will be convicted of simply even smoking the drug. But the country’s drug lords are virtually invulnerable. Why? BBC Popup depicts the ordeals that those who deal with hash in the country have to undergo.
In the Beqqa Valley of Lebanon, farmers grow the drug freely. They do this in order to help provide for and protect the livelihood of the poorer people of the region. These kingpins are able to get away with illegal activity because they claim that hashish is the only viable crop they can grow. Their philanthropy is also seen as positively enabling the nation. Likewise, loyal armed militiamen support them making the drug lords essentially untouchable by the government. Watch the video below to see how Lebanon’s biggest hashish kingpin, Ali Nasri Shamas, flourishes, even while a civil war in neighboring Syria rages.
Does this remind you of Pablo Escobar? Click here to see the hidden safe that was uncovered in the foundation of Escobar’s mansion.
