Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The General Directorate of Border Guards foiled attempts to smuggle huge cache of drugs into Saudi Arabia.

A total of 1708 people were arrested in connection with drug smuggling. They included 995 Ethiopian border security violators, 695 Yemeni nationals who violated the Border Security Law, 3 Eritrean, Somali and Sudanese nationals, and 15 Saudi citizens.

The seized drugs included 350,644 amphetamine pills, 1,526,629 tablets subject to medical regulation, 2.6 tons of hashish, and 144 tons of khat. The smugglers were arrested in the border regions of Tabuk, Jazan, Asir, and Najran.

This comes within the framework of the Ministry of Interior's anti-drug campaign through flawless monitoring of drug smuggling and trafficking activities that target the security of the Kingdom and its youth. The ministry called on citizens and residents to report any information they have about any activities related to drug smuggling or trafficking by calling over the toll free number 911 in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and the numbers 994 and 999 in the rest of the Saudi regions.

The public can also pass the information by calling the General Directorate of Narcotics Control's reporting number 995, or by email: [email protected]. All reports will be handled with complete confidentiality, with no liability on the reporter, the ministry said in a statement.