Attempt to smuggle 13 million amphetamine tablets foiled by Saudi authorities

Nearly 13 million amphetamine tablets were seized by Saudi Arabia's anti-narcotics department. On Saturday (April 29), it was reported that the authorities carried out pre-emptive strikes against the attempt of four Pakistanis to promote the banned substance in the country.

In another drug bust, the Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has also foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 4 million tablets of Captagon through Al-Batha land inlet.

According to the SPA report, the drugs were discovered hidden in a shipment entering the Kingdom through the land port, with 4,152,000 tablets seized. The authority reported that three individuals were held accountable for the illegal act and have been sent to face justice.

Saudi authorities made a series of arrests following eight drug busts across the Kingdom on Wednesday. The General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) carried out raids in Riyadh, Jazan, Jeddah, Tabuk, and Eastern Province, targeting illegal possession of drugs and firearms.

And the GDNC revealed on Tuesday the seizure of more than 12 million amphetamine pills hidden in a shipment of pomegranate fruit, amid a crackdown on the widely used captagon drug. Authorities thwarted "an attempt to smuggle 12,729,000 tablets of amphetamine" concealed in the shipment passing through the Jeddah port, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

• Watch: Gulf passenger arrested at Indian airport for smuggling over 450g gold into country