The Syrian SANA news agency announced that the security authorities arrested Nimir Badi al-Assad, the cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the countryside of Latakia.
A security source in the Ministry of Interior told SANA that the Internal Security Forces were able to arrest Namir al-Assad along with a number of members of a criminal gang, during a tight security operation they carried out in the city of Qardaha in the countryside of Latakia.
The source explained that Nimir al-Assad is considered one of the most prominent drug traffickers involved in several crimes during the period of the previous regime, noting that the operation was carried out by one of the Special Tasks Department teams of the Internal Security Department, through an elaborate ambush that resulted in his successful arrest.
The source confirmed that “this step reflects the commitment of the Internal Security Forces to pursue the remnants of the former regime, combat crime and achieve justice.”
