RIYADH: Saudi authorities have seized a massive haul of 4.7 million Captagon tablets with a street value of up to $117.5m, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.
Major Marwan Al-Hazmi, spokesperson for the Saudi General Directorate of Narcotics Control, said the tablets were found hidden in a shipment of concrete blocks.
The drugs haul had an estimated street value of between $47 million and $117.5 million, according to research published in the International Addiction Review Journal, based on assumptions that users pay in the range of $10-$25 a pill.
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 while some find their way into organized crime and terrorism.
Two people were arrested in the Riyadh region, according to SPA and have been referred to the Public Prosecution and initial legal procedures have been taken against them.
The authorities have called upon the public to report all information regarding drug smuggling or selling by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and 999 in the rest of the Kingdom. Alternatively, authorities may be contacted by email at 995@gdnc.gov.sa.
Reports of suspected cases of drug smuggling are treated with strict confidentiality. Financial rewards are offered for information leading to arrests.
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