A team of pharmaceutical inspectors in Lebanon has raided a place that had been illegally selling baby milk at a high price on the black market.
The team, accompanied by State Security personnel and followed closely by caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan, conducted the raid on Friday.
The raid took place after someone had published an advertisement on social media, announcing the sale of baby formula for children under the age of one.
The individual behind the advertisement was selling the products at five times the subsidized price.
The woman running the illegal operation had been hoarding large numbers of subsidized baby formula and other subsidized food items and storing them in her house before selling them at much higher prices, offering home delivery as well, according to the National News Agency.
She was interrogated and referred to the competent judicial authority to proceed with the necessary legal measures.
In light of this, the Health Ministry has urged all exploiters of the difficult circumstances in Lebanon to stop the illegal hoarding, monopolizing, and trade of commodities.
The Ministry pledged to take “the most punitive measures” against those proven to be involved in similar operations.
The shortage of baby milk and fuel, among others, has been hitting hard the people in crisis-stricken Lebanon.
Authorities are now conducting patrols in Beirut to ensure that gas stations are not monopolizing gasoline or refraining from selling it to people. Those that had closed despite having fuel in their tanks are being penalized and forced to work.
