By Ibrahim Alawi
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The police seized swamps and and underground holes used as factories for alcohol and arak east of Jeddah.
Jeddah Police received information of violators who frequent a hidden area east of Jeddah near a sewage canal.
The police investigated the reports and found a group of Ethiopian men were using the secluded area as a hideout for manufacturing and distributing alcohol and arak.
The violators used sewage water and cattle excrement for fermentation. The alleged violators would come to their hideout during the night and leave in the morning.
The police ambushed the group at night after monitoring the area for a period of time. A large barrel of alcohol and equipment for fermentation were found at the site.
The police also arrested nine Ethiopians and forwarded them to Al-Samer Police.
The police also found out that the violators had multiple distribution locations in case one of the locations was inoperative. But the police managed to track down all locations and shut them down.
The police had to also dig up barrels of alcohol hidden underground.
Salem Al-Ahmadi said having these shrouded swamps in the area lures a lot of violators in.
“We would like the municipality to interfere and clear the swamps as they are attracting criminals and violators as well as insects and diseases,” said Al-Ahmadi.
