CAIRO: Saudi security forces seized SR1.7 billion worth of narcotics and arrested 681 men involved in drug smuggling and trafficking during the past four months. “While 96 arrested men were Saudis, 585 of them belonged to 33 nationalities,” Ministry of Interior spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said in a press conference in Riyadh. Al-Turki said 20 officers were injured in 43 operations against drug smugglers during this period. “The forces seized 6.3 kg of heroin, 10.61 tons of hashish, 13.26 million narcotic pills, and 1.69 kg of cocaine, apart from SR16.73 million in cash from the smugglers,” Al-Turki said. He commended the cooperation between security forces and customs officials in foiling smuggling operations. One notable operation in the period led to the discovery of 100,000 amphetamine pills hidden in the island of Tiran off the coast of Tabuk after the interrogation of two Egyptian smugglers. In another operation two Saudis, a Kuwaiti and a Jordanian were arrested for their involvement in smuggling 1 million amphetamine pills, he said. Al-Turki said three Umrah pilgrims were arrested for smuggling 40,000 narcotic pills. He said officers foiled an attempt by a gang comprising five Iranians and six Pakistanis to smuggle half a ton of hashish across the Arabian Gulf. He said there were five cases of drug smugglers taking their families with them to deceive anti-narcotic officials. All the culprits would be tried and punished by the courts, he added. He said education and family supervision are important factors that could save young people from slipping into drug addiction. He said drug smuggling had a natural link with money laundering. The officers also discovered a network that did not carry narcotic drugs but dealt with money earned from drug trafficking. The role of the arrested women suspects was mostly the distribution of narcotics. He said smugglers attempted to enter the country through unofficial entry points across the porous southern border and the coasts. In the north, the smugglers attempted to bring in contraband through official entry points by hiding it in candies or similar cargo. A glider plane was also used for smuggling drugs across the northern border, he said. “We strive to make the Kingdom a narcotic free region,” he said. Al-Turki warned the smugglers: “Everyone should know that the Kingdom's regulations will apply on any individual and he or she will face punishments accordingly, including the death penalty. We will not spare any nationality, including Iranians and Syrians.” Drug dealing is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, and the preferred method of execution is a public beheading by sword, followed by crucifixion.
