RIYADH: Saudi authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle 5,246,000 amphetamine tablets through Jeddah’s Islamic Port.
Maj. Raed Al-Najidi, spokesperson for the Saudi General Directorate of Narcotics Control, said the pills had been hidden inside crates of grapes intended for distribution throughout the Kingdom.
A Syrian and two Jordanians were arrested in connection with the incident.
The drugs seizure was carried out as part of a coordinated operation between the directorate and the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority.
Saudi border patrols in Jazan, Najran, and Asir recently thwarted attempts to sneak more than one ton of cannabis and 66 tons of qat into the Kingdom.
And in May, Saudi authorities foiled a plot to smuggle almost 1,000 kilograms of hashish into the country through its southern borders. Twenty-four people — 18 Ethiopians, four Yemenis, and two Saudis — were arrested.
