Lebanese State Security has arrested a number of people in the Aiha area of the Bekaa’s Rashaya district suspected of smuggling Syrian refugees into Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported Friday. State Security also freed four people who smugglers had detained in order to financially extort them, according to the report, which did not give further details on the suspects or smuggling operation. In 2015, the Lebanese government barred the U.N. refugee agency from registering Syrian refugees and placed additional restrictions on their entry into the country without guarantors, work visas or visas for transit. The tightened measures led to a rise in the number of Syrians attempting to enter Lebanon irregularly. As a result, the Army and security forces have been trying to crack down on smuggling in areas close to the border with Syria.