DUBAI: Saudi authorities sized 460,000 Captagon pills at the Duba port found in a consignment that arrived in the Kingdom.
The consignment was earlier declared as containing machines, and the pills were found hidden in the cavities of the machines during a security check, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority said in a statement on Friday.
The drugs haul had an estimated street value of between $4.6 million and $11.5 million, according to research published in the International Addiction Review Journal, based on assumptions that users pay in the range of $10-$25 a pill.
Amphetamines are largely used by young men and teenaged boys across the Middle East, and the money raised through the sale of all narcotics are usually ploughed back into the drug trade while some find their way into organized crime and terrorism.
The Saudi government has urged anyone with information related to suspected smuggling operations or customs violations to call the confidential hotline 1910, the international number 00 966 114208417, or email [email protected].
Tips received by the authority related to smuggling crimes and breaches of common customs law are treated with strict confidentiality. Financial rewards are offered for valid tips.
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