RIYADH: Saudi authorities foiled a plot to smuggle almost 1,000 kilograms of hashish into the Kingdom through its southern borders.
Col. Misfer Al-Quraini, a spokesman for the Border Guards, said the plans were uncovered by officers during their continual investigations of criminal drug activities.
Authorities seized 961kg of the drug in Jazan region, including 515kg in a joint operation with the General Directorate for Narcotics Control. A total of 24 were arrested in connection with the seizures, including 18 Ethiopian nationals, four Yemenis and two Saudi citizens.
Al-Quraini said that in other security operations in the region border guards seized 44.7 tons of khat, and 23 people were arrested, including 16 Saudi citizens, and seven Yemenis.
He added that security officials will continue their efforts to investigate and prevent cross-border smuggling and arrest those involved.
Saudi border guards foil attempts to smuggle hashish, khat in Jazan region
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Saudi border guards foil attempts to smuggle hashish, khat in Jazan region
- A total of 47 people have been arrested in several security operations in the region
SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem
RIYADH: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi says that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi said the goal is to use AI to help develop government services, enhance competitiveness, build human capacity and improve quality of life through a comprehensive strategy based on three main pillars that unlock the potential of this technology and achieve sustainable developmental impact.
“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” he said.
The second pillar is building an integrated national AI ecosystem that drives expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and with effective governance, Al-Ghamdi said.
The third pillar, he said, is governance that ensures responsible and measurable AI through a national framework aligned with international standards.
This came during Al-Ghamdi’s speech at a high-level ministerial session held on Thursday on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
He is heading the Saudi delegation, and the session saw broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers and technology leaders from around the world.
Al-Ghamdi also had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening, discussed AI cooperation and expressed his gratitude for hosting the summit and for the hospitality extended to the participants.
