17 smugglers arrested, half ton of hashish seized in Saudi drug busts

Saudi Customs detains a suspect and display confiscated drugs. (SPA)
Updated 06 July 2017
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17 smugglers arrested, half ton of hashish seized in Saudi drug busts

JEDDAH: Customs officers at the Al-Ahsa airport in Saudi Arabia have thwarted an attempt to smuggle around 110,000 Captagon pills found hidden in the luggage of a passenger who was traveling to the Kingdom.
“During the inspection procedures of the passenger’s luggage, the customs officers were able to find the Captagon pills that were hidden inside boxes and were carefully placed in hidden areas inside a wooden table,” said Othman Al-Ghamdi, director general of customs at Al-Ahsa International Airport.
In the past two weeks, Saudi customs officers have managed to prevent the smuggling of more than half a ton of hashish, as well as arresting 17 smugglers in various operations.
Forces in southern Saudi Arabia have foiled many smugglers from implementing their plans, said Saher bin Mohammed Al-Harbi, official spokesperson of the Border Guards.
He added that many people have been arrested coming to Saudi Arabia from Yemen through the borders at Jazan and Najran, explaining that the authorities were very firm in dealing with the issue.
As a result of a recent campaign, Al-Harbi said authorities have arrested 11 Ethiopians, two Somalis, two Saudis and one Yemeni for smuggling-related charges, with a total of around 544 kilograms of narcotics found. The suspects were transferred to the relevant authorities so that legal procedures against them can continue.


Saudi crown prince discusses Mideast situation with Turkish, British, Cypriot leaders

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Saudi crown prince discusses Mideast situation with Turkish, British, Cypriot leaders

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had separate phone conversations with the leaders of Turkiye, UK, Cyprus about the ongoing Middle East crisis, the Saudi Press Agency reported early on Saturday.

During Crown Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s phone conversation, the crown prince expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of the Iranian attacks targeting Turkiye, and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for all the measures Ankara takes to safeguard its security and territorial integrity.

The crown prince and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the latest developments in the region and their repercussions on regional and international security.

Starmer also affirmed that the UK stands by Saudi Arabia in the face of the Iranian attacks targeting its territory, and supports all measures taken by the Kingdom to preserve its sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity.

The crown prince and President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides discussed the latest developments in the region and their repercussions on security and stability. They also emphasized their rejection of any actions that could undermine the region’s security and stability.