https://arab.news/vdjkc
- Seizure led to the arrest of eight drug traders
- The drugs haul had a street value of approximately $10m
RIYADH: Saudi authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 410,000 amphetamine pills with a street value of approximately $10.250m in the Jeddah Governorate, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The drugs haul had an estimated street value of approximately between $4.1m and $10.250m according to research published in the International Addiction Review Journal, which said users paid in the range of $10-$25 a pill.
Maj. Marwan Al-Hazmi, spokesman for the General Directorate for Narcotics Control, said the drugs were found concealed in a truck during a security follow-up operation on drug smuggling and distribution networks targeting the Kingdom.
The seizure led to the arrest of eight men, including five Yemeni nationals who had entered the Kingdom illegally.
Money found in the possession of those arrested was seized and their cases were referred to the Public Prosecution.
Punishment for drug-related crimes in Saudi Arabia carries severe punishments including long term jail sentences and even execution.
Amphetamines are largely used by young men and teenaged boys across the Middle East, and the money raised through the sale of all narcotics are usually ploughed back into the drug trade although some find their way into organized crime and terrorism.
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