Four arrested as Saudi Arabia seizes 12 million amphetamine tablets

Latest huge seizure of smuggled drugs in kingdom

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency SPA on April 25, 2023, shows members of Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) displaying bags of amphetamine pills seized Show more

Saudi Arabia arrested four suspected smugglers as it seized 12,729,000 amphetamine tablets, officials said on Tuesday.

Major Marwan Al Hazmi, of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, said the narcotics were hidden in a shipment of pomegranate at Jeddah's port.

Two Egyptians, a Syrian and a Yemeni national were referred to prosecutors for investigation.

Regional security officials say drugs are smuggled through Jordan to Saudi Arabia, despite mammoth efforts by Saudi authorities to intercept them.

Data on the scale of drug use in Saudi Arabia is scarce, but researchers in 2016 estimated that as many as three quarters of Saudis being treated for drug addiction had become addicted to amphetamines — mostly Captagon.

The Saudi campaign against drugs is part of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority's mission to “protect society, support the national economy and improve international trade”, a Saudi Press Agency report said.

The authority operates 41 customs ports around the kingdom.

The narcotics control directorate publishes regular reports of drugs seized and arrests made.

Last year, the kingdom temporarily halted all trade with Lebanon after large quantities of drugs were found in shipments of fruits and vegetables.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia seized 190 million Captagon pills, as well as more than 37 tonnes of other drugs, official figures show.