JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s security forces announced on Friday that they have arrested a total of 1,628 people from September 2017 to March 2018, as part of efforts to combat the smuggling and peddling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
The perpetrators arrested included 1,024 Saudi nationals and 41 individuals from different nationalities for their involvement in crimes of smuggling, possession, couriering and dealing of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
During the course of their duties, the security forces faced armed resistance from smugglers and dealers in a number of security operations, resulting in injuries to 33 security personnel, in addition to the deaths of 10 and the injury of 21 drug smugglers and traffickers.
The total seized in the security operations of narcotics, psychotropic substances, weapons and cash are as follows:
1. 20,417,349 tablets of amphetamine (Captagon)
2. 18,197 tons of hashish
3: 6.5 kgs of raw heroin
4. Almost 79 kgs of impure heroin
5. Around 2 kgs of cocaine
6.Just over 32 kgs of anesthesia
7. More than 19 kgs of opium
8. 1,962,044 regulated medicinal pills
9. 439 assorted weapons, and 13,086 various live rounds
10. A total of SR 24,746,443 was seized
Saudi Arabia’s security agencies arrested 1,628 for drug crimes in the past year
Saudi Arabia’s security agencies arrested 1,628 for drug crimes in the past year
- 1,024 of those arrested are Saudi nationals and 41 are from different nationalities
- In cases where the suspects resisted, 33 security personnel were wounded, 10 drug traffickers were killed and 21 wounded
Coffee in Northern Borders is about flavor and community
ARAR: The strong and dark coffee in Saudi Arabia’s Northern Borders region denotes flavor, community and conversation.
The brew is typically prepared with generous amounts of cardamom, saffron or cloves and sometimes ginger. It is boiled in a rakwa or coffee kettle over a wood fire, giving it a unique taste associated with the Bedouin environment.
The coffee is served at “shabbat” gatherings in desert camps and on the outskirts of cities, where families and friends gather around a fire for warmth and conversations, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
FASTFACTS
• Dark brew boiled with cardamom, spices.
• All about hospitality, says an elder in Arar
Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Zammam, an Arar elder, said: “Coffee transcends simple hospitality for us — it initiates dialogue and embodies welcome. We dedicate ourselves to mastering its preparation because it demonstrates guest reverence and heritage appreciation.”
Northern heritage advocate Fahd Al-Saqri noted that coffee has evolved into a daily fixture within community councils, stressing that shabbat gatherings cannot truly commence without it.
Residents are keen to select the finest types of coffee beans, and preparation methods vary among families according to taste and custom.
Some families have passed down methods of preparing coffee through generations, with quality recognized by aroma, flavor, and color.
