Lebanese TikTok star Dr. Food was arrested in a smuggling case involving 820 kilos of hashish concealed in branded confectionery packaging.
For millions of followers, Georges Dib was “Dr. Food,” a Lebanese creator who reviewed restaurants, toured factories, and built a confectionery brand around his online fame. Lebanese prosecutors claim those same branded products concealed a very different business: an international drug operation involving hundreds of kilos of hashish.
On August 23, security forces arrested Dib during a raid on his home in Rahbeh, northern Lebanon. His capture ended a bizarre period in which the influencer allegedly switched vehicles, phones, and residences to avoid police—without ever logging off social media.
More Than Chocolate in the Boxes
The investigation began after authorities searched the luggage of a passenger preparing to fly from Beirut to Turkey in 2023. Inside were reportedly 16 rectangular blocks of cannabis resin, wrapped in nylon and placed among chocolate boxes carrying the Dr. Food name.
Prosecutors later alleged that the discovery was one piece of a much larger smuggling network. Packaging designed to resemble Dr. Food cake and biscuit products was reportedly produced at a facility in Baalbek, while narcotics were stored near Beirut’s international airport before being sent abroad.
A 2024 operation resulted in the seizure of 820 kilograms (over 1,800 pounds) of hashish. Despite some viral descriptions of “drug-laced pastries,” reports indicate that the hashish was primarily concealed inside branded confectionery packaging rather than baked into ordinary desserts.
A Fugitive With a Content Schedule
An arrest warrant was issued for Dib in May 2024 amid reports that he had left Lebanon. The case continued without him, and a Mount Lebanon criminal court eventually sentenced Dib and several co-defendants in absentia to life imprisonment with hard labor. The court also imposed financial penalties and stripped those convicted while absent of their civil rights.
Dib publicly denied the accusations after news of the ruling emerged. He insisted his legal team had evidence supporting his innocence and accused media outlets of being paid to damage his reputation. His online operation carried on almost as if nothing had happened: restaurant videos, advertisements, and product giveaways continued reaching millions of viewers.
Behind the scenes, police were attempting to turn that visibility against him. Lebanese security officials said Dib would leave locations after filming and frequently change his car, phone number, and residence. The strategy allegedly kept him out of custody for more than a year, but his need to keep feeding the algorithm also gave investigators clues about his movements.
When the Feed Became a Trail
After approximately a month of surveillance, officers located Dib at his home in Lebanon’s Akkar governorate. He was arrested under two drug-related warrants and transferred to the relevant judicial authorities.
The most surreal detail arrived shortly afterward: even as images of Dib in custody circulated online, one of his social media pages reportedly posted another promotional giveaway. The creator behind Dr. Food had been arrested, but the brand’s scheduled content kept rolling.
Dib has maintained his innocence, and his arrest moves the case into a new legal phase because the original sentence was delivered while he was absent. Future proceedings will need to determine his precise role in the shipments and whether his confectionery company was knowingly used as cover for drug trafficking.
For years, Dr. Food built an audience by taking viewers behind the scenes of restaurants and production facilities. Now Lebanese prosecutors are preparing to tell a very different story—one involving chocolate boxes, an alleged international smuggling route, and 820 kilograms of hashish hidden beneath the branding.