Doctor Food Arrested After Narcotics Allegedly Found in Branded Sweets Bound for a Gulf Country

Lebanese TikTok food influencer Georges Hanna Dib, known online as Doctor Food, has been arrested in Lebanon after authorities alleged that confectionery and food products made at his factories contained narcotics and were intended for shipment to a Gulf country, in a case linked to an earlier in-absentia life sentence for drug trafficking and smuggling.

Dib, born in 1986, was detained at his home in the Rhaba area of Aakkar, northern Lebanon, on 23 August. Lebanon's Internal Security Forces said he was wanted under two arrest warrants and detention orders.

The creator, who has more than eight million followers, denied wrongdoing in videos posted to his social-media accounts in July. He said he was 'innocent' and maintained that the case had not been resolved.

Doctor Food Held After Aakkar Home Raid

A patrol from the Halba Judicial Unit, within Lebanon's Judicial Police Force, arrested Dib after a month of investigations and surveillance. The operation ended with a judicial search of his residence, the Internal Security Forces said.

Police identified the suspect as J.D., a Lebanese national known as Doctor Food. It said he was handed to the competent judicial authority under a court directive after legal procedures were completed.

A judicial source said Dib was expected to be transferred to the detention centre at the Mount Lebanon courthouse for a new drug-trafficking trial. The source said he had previously been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by the Mount Lebanon Criminal Court for drug trafficking and smuggling.

The arrest followed an earlier warrant issued by the Lebanese judiciary two years ago over alleged drug manufacturing, trafficking and smuggling abroad. Authorities have not publicly specified the exact offences linked to the latest detention orders.

Alleged Narcotics in Gulf-Bound Branded Sweets

Lebanon's National News Agency said the earlier warrant followed a seizure at Beirut's international airport.

Confectionery and other food products made at factories owned by Dib allegedly contained narcotics, according to the agency's account.

The products were reportedly intended for shipment to a Gulf country, which was not publicly named. Authorities have not disclosed whether the shipment reached an airline cargo facility or was intercepted before departure.

Separate court reporting said an investigating judge accused Dib, his company Doctor Food Worldwide and others of making cannabis-based substances and packaging them in biscuit products for export through Türkiye.

The allegation formed part of the case in which the Mount Lebanon Criminal Court issued an in-absentia life-with-hard-labour sentence on 16 July.

The Internal Security Forces did not say whether that airport seizure forms part of the proceedings now facing Dib. Its statement also did not identify the type or quantity of narcotics allegedly found in the products.

Dib owns industrial confectionery businesses alongside his social-media career. The case has attracted attention because the allegations concern food products linked to a creator whose online content is centred on cooking and everyday life.

What Happens Next for Doctor Food

The current arrest does not amount to a new conviction. The claims connected to the latest warrants remain subject to judicial proceedings in Lebanon.

Dib is expected to face a new trial after the earlier in-absentia life sentence, according to the judicial source. Details of the charges, evidence and hearing timetable have not yet been made public.

He became known online through food and day-to-day videos made with his former wife, Shorouk, who has more than 15 million followers. Their separation and previous personal disputes are separate from the current drug-related case.

The official arrest statement confirms the date, location, warrants, surveillance and handover to judicial authorities. The reported airport seizure, alleged Gulf-bound destination, past conviction and TikTok denial are separate background reported through a judicial source and the National News Agency.