Saudi Gazette report

MADINAH/Al-BAT'HAA — The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) confirmed on Friday that it had thwarted 3 attempts to smuggle more than 18 kilograms of methamphetamine (Shabu).

ZATCA said that the methamphetamine (Shabu) was found hidden in consignments with people came to the Kingdom through the ports of Al-Bat'haa and the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah.

The smuggling of about 6.9 kilograms of Shabu was thwarted in the first attempt after it was found hidden in the luggage of a person arriving in the Kingdom at Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, where he hid it inside a cavity of the bag.

While ZATCA said that in the second smuggling attempt, it found 1.7 kilograms of Shabu hidden around the body of a passenger arriving at Al-Bat'haa port.

In the third attempt, ZATCA succeeded in thwarting an attempt to smuggle 10.114 kilograms of Shabu, which was hidden in a truck disguised as a ceramic consignment, and the Shabu was caught inside the truck cabin, hidden inside tissue boxes at Al-Bat'haa port.

After completing the seizures and coordinating with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) to ensure the arrest of the recipients of the seizures inside Saudi Arabia, the ZATCA confirmed that it had arrested the people who tried to smuggle this quantity, and it turned out that they were 3 persons.

ZATCA confirmed on doing its utmost to prevent and thwart any smuggling attempt, stressing that it continues to confiscate and tighten customs control over all exports and imports and continues to combat smuggling in all its forms.

The ZATCA called on everyone to communicate with it to report any information related to smuggling crimes through the Security Reports Center (1910) or via e-mail: 1910@zatca.gov.sa and the international number (00966114208417), as the center receives security reports in complete secrecy, with a financial reward given to those who report if the reporting information is correct.