Saudi authorities make multiple arrests in crackdown on drug traffickers

An officer of the Directorate of Narcotics Control of Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry empties a bag of tablets of captagon seized during a special operation in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. (AFP file photo)
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RIYADH: Saudi authorities have announced the arrest of several suspects and seizure of large quantities of illegal drugs in operations carried out across the Kingdom.

On Saturday, the General Directorate of Narcotics Control arrested a Saudi citizen in Jeddah for trafficking 15.8 kg of hashish, while Jeddah police detained two Yemeni nationals for trafficking amphetamines.

In the Al-Harth governorate of Jazan region, border patrol units arrested two Yemeni nationals for attempting to smuggle 97 kg of the stimulant drug qat.

The General Directorate of Narcotics Control also arrested a Saudi resident of Pakistani nationality in the Eastern Province for trafficking 10 kg of methamphetamine shabu and a Syrian resident in Riyadh for trafficking 100,000 amphetamine tablets.

The criminal investigation department in Riyadh arrested five Saudi citizens for trafficking hashish, amphetamine and controlled drugs. The suspects were also found in possession of three firearms, live ammunition and an unspecified sum of money.

Preliminary legal procedures against all of the suspects have been completed and the cases referred to public prosecutors.

Members of the public can report suspected smuggling or other violations in confidence via email — 1910@zatca.gov.sa — or by calling 1910 from within the country or +966114208417 from overseas.

Financial rewards are offered for information that leads to the discovery of a crime.