5 million amphetamine pills seized in Saudi drug bust; 11 arrested

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH —Saudi authorities said Sunday that they had seized more than 5 million amphetamine tablets and arrested 11 people in one of the Kingdom's largest drug busts. The suspects — nine Saudis and two Sudanese citizens — were arrested in Riyadh as an illegal deal was being completed, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting the Interior Ministry's security spokesman. Three grams of heroin, a machine gun and a pistol were also seized from the suspects, the spokesman said without elaborating. He said the police had formed a special security team to monitor the movement of the suspects after receiving a tip-off on their activities. The officers surrounded the men and arrested them as they were exchanging the drugs. The Interior Ministry announced in November that it had seized a total of 22.4 million amphetamine tablets, 28.8 tons of cannabis and 26.2 kilograms of heroin in the last Islamic calendar year, which ended in mid-October.