Lebanese influencer known as Dr. Food sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment

BEIRUT, Lebanon — BEIRUT — A Lebanese criminal court has sentenced in absentia the social media influencer George Hanna Deib, known online as Dr. Food, to life imprisonment on drug manufacturing and trafficking charges. The Mount Lebanon Heavy Criminal Court also imposed a fine, according to ruling details reported in Lebanese media. The case stemmed from an investigation into allegations that biscuit boxes bearing the Dr. Food brand were used to smuggle narcotics. The investigation found that Deib's social media accounts had more than five million followers at the time of the probe. An arrest warrant in absentia was issued against him in May 2024, and the influencer has claimed that his brand was being imitated, according to the reports. The sentencing came amid a separate controversy surrounding Deib and his wife, Shuruk, after videos circulated online purporting to show a dispute between them that escalated into a physical altercation, during which Shuruk appeared to be pregnant. Shuruk later announced that she would hold a divorce celebration on August 26, a disclosure that intensified debate on Lebanese social media. No further details on the legal proceedings were immediately available.