Famous influencer 'Dr Food' sentenced to life over drug manufacturing case

Beirut: A Lebanese criminal court has sentenced content creator George Hanna Dib, widely known as "Dr Food", to life with hard labour in absentia after convicting him in a drug manufacturing case, according to Lebanese media reports.

The Mount Lebanon Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Elie Helou, issued the ruling in March, finding Dib guilty under Articles 125 and 150 of Lebanon's narcotics law, which relate to the manufacture of narcotic substances.

The court also imposed a fine of 120 million Lebanese pounds and stripped defendants convicted in absentia of their civil rights.

The verdict also covered several co-defendants, some of whom were tried in custody while others remain at large. Lebanese authorities said Dib continues to evade arrest despite repeated security operations and remains wanted to serve the sentence.

The case stems from an earlier indictment by the Mount Lebanon investigating judge, who accused Dib, his company Dr Food Worldwide, and 10 other suspects of manufacturing cannabis-based narcotics, concealing them inside biscuit products and shipping them abroad via Turkey. 

Prosecutors alleged the operation exploited the company's commercial brand and international reputation to facilitate drug trafficking.