Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have thwarted an attempt to smuggle 451,807 amphetamine tablets into the Kingdom by sea from a network linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

The network was trying to smuggle Captagon amphetamine tablets to the Kingdom, by sea from Lebanon to Nigeria, hidden inside mechanical equipment, where it was seized before being shipped to another country and sent to the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Interior's security spokesman, Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub, said that one of Hezbollah's "drug production and smuggling networks" was behind the attempt.

"The shipment was seized in coordination with our counterparts in Nigeria before the network had the chance to ship it to another country," he said.

The security spokesman praised the cooperation with the Nigerian Interior Ministry in apprehending the drugs.

"The Kingdom will continue to monitor the criminal activities that target the Kingdom's security and youth with drugs, counter and thwart them and arrest all those involved in such activities," he added.

Last April, Saudi Arabia banned Lebanese fruits and vegetables from entering the Kingdom or passing through it because those shipments have been increasingly used to smuggle drugs.