¤Cabinet orders seizure of goods smuggled to Syria: subsidised fuel and flour

On 14 May 2020, after controversy over the smuggling of large quantities of subsidised diesel, the government ordered the seizure of all smuggled goods on the Syrian border and the smugglers' vehicles. Between 7 and 14 May the army seized some 215,000 litres of fuel and 71 tons of flour and arrested 25 people, and later dismantled pipes for smuggling diesel through the illegal crossings. The subsidy from the Banque du Liban's reserves was being drained by smuggling goods sold in Syria at double their price, and reports estimated the loss at about 400 million dollars a year from fuel alone.