RIYADH: Saudi Border Guards arrested 79 people attempting to smuggle drugs across the Kingdom’s southern borders during January, officials have revealed.
Authorities seized 1,790 kg of hashish and 90,065 tons of qat (also khat) from smugglers trying to sneak banned substances over Saudi land and sea crossings, said Border Guards spokesman Lt. Col. Misfer bin Ghannam Al-Quraini.
He added that those arrested included 61 Ethiopians, seven Yemenis, five Saudis, four Somalis and two unidentified people, all of whom had been passed over to the relevant authorities for further questioning.
Al-Quraini pointed out that the arrests were part of ongoing operations by the Border Guards to combat drug smuggling and stop the targeting of Saudi youth with narcotics.
