JAZAN: Security officials in Jazan have arrested two people for attempting to smuggle qat.
The drugs were found hidden in a vehicle in Al-Ardah governorate. Legal action is now being taken against the two citizens held.
In a separate operation, officers in the region’s Al-Harth governorate seized 150 kilograms of qat.
Anyone wishing to report information on suspected drug-smuggling, or the selling of narcotics can call 911 in Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and 999 in the rest of the Kingdom. The General Directorate of Narcotics Control can be contacted on 995 or via email. Saudi Arabia has lately intensified its crackdown on drug smuggling operations.
Last year, Saudi authorities seized narcotics with a street value of up to $1 billion and arrested eight expats in what is believed to be one of the biggest drug busts the Kingdom has witnessed.Authorities discovered the 47 million amphetamine pills during a raid on a warehouse in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The drugs have a street value of between $470 million and more than $1 billion, based on figures cited in the International Addiction Review journal.
