Saudi Arabia bans Lebanese produce over drug smuggling

FILE PHOTO: A Saudi vendor sells fruits in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia announced on Friday a ban on imports of fruits and vegetables from Lebanon, blaming an increase in drug smuggling, in a measure that will add to Lebanon's economic woes.

Lebanon is already in the throes of a deep financial crisis that is posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war. Its agriculture minister said the move was a "great loss" and that the trade was worth $24 million a year.