After months in hiding, Lebanese authorities arrested content creator George Deeb, known on the TikTok app as "Dr. Food," who had been convicted in absentia to a life sentence on charges of drug trafficking and smuggling.
اضافة اعلان
A Lebanese judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Sunday that security forces arrested the food content creator—who boasts over 8 million followers on TikTok—from his home in Akkar, in far northern Lebanon, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Ministry of Interior later confirmed the news, and the official Internal Security Forces account on "X" posted a photo of the suspect detained and handcuffed.
Deeb, who also owns confectionery factories, will be transferred "to the designated detention facility at the Mount Lebanon Palace of Justice for a retrial on drug trafficking charges, following the in absentia sentence issued against him by the Mount Lebanon Criminal Court, which ruled a life imprisonment sentence" several months ago.
"Drug Manufacturing and Trafficking"
This development comes after the Lebanese judiciary issued an in absentia arrest warrant against Deeb two years ago on charges of "manufacturing, trafficking, and smuggling drugs abroad, following the seizure at Beirut Airport of sweets and food items produced in his factories that were stuffed with drugs and intended for shipment to a Gulf nation," according to the official National News Agency at the time.
However, despite the arrest warrant and life sentence, Deeb continued to post content on TikTok. On July 19, following the widespread report of his sentencing, he posted a video on TikTok denying the allegations, asserting he was "innocent," and urging his followers "not to listen" to what was being published about him on social media.
Deeb gained fame alongside his ex-wife, known as "Shorouq"—a Canadian of Palestinian descent with over 15 million followers—by creating content centered around cooking and daily life. The couple separated after she accused him of domestic abuse. On Saturday night, Shorouq held a "divorce party" attended by thousands of her followers at a beach resort, sparking widespread buzz across social media platforms.
News Agencies
