Someone on TikTok in Syria is offering his services to discreetly move people between Syria and Lebanon without getting checked… for a price.
A Syrian resident who goes by the handle “THE_47th” tweeted about the TikToks. The posts show several human smuggling advertisements by the TikTok user “Ali1212.6”.
In one of the posts, a large intimidating convoy of tinted SUVs is moving on a snowy mountainous road into Lebanon.
Another reads, “Military lines/roads for wanted people,” followed by a price list (in USD) which varies depending on location. For example, getting from Damascus to Beirut would cost $200.
It’s not immediately clear what kind of ‘wanted people’ the post is referring to. Are they people wanted by the Syrian government? Are they people evading conscription; not wanting to be drafted into the army?
Nevertheless, the posts are concerning given that they guarantee free movement across borders without being searched.
The smugglers are using the Damas-Beirut military road. A Special road reserved for Syrian military between the two capitals, no customs, no checking cargo…etc
Check out the military salute pic.twitter.com/6CDFSg07eO— S. Rifai (@THE_47th) February 3, 2021
It is also concerning to consider that people who pay for this service are putting their lives and everything they own at the mercy of complete strangers.
People in desperate need to get from one place to another are putting themselves at a very high risk of being robbed, abducted, trafficked, or killed. The smuggler could steal from them and leave them in the middle of nowhere to die.
The whole scheme is sketchy and leaves open the question, what’s the Lebanese army doing about it?
