RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control has assisted the UAE to thwart an attempt to smuggle 89,760 amphetamine pills into the country, the Ministry of Interior’s security spokesman said on Sunday.

The banned drugs were hidden in a consignment of clothing accessories, Brig. Gen. Talal bin Shalhoub said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Shalhoub stated that the monitoring of criminal networks involved in drug smuggling, along with information shared by the GDNC with its UAE counterpart, led to the operation’s success.

In addition, Saudi authorities said customs operations at land, air and sea ports in the Kingdom recorded 1,371 seizures of prohibited items in a single week, the SPA reported.

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, or ZATCA, said there were 47 cases involving hashish, cocaine, heroin, shabu, and captagon pills, and 333 of other prohibited substances.

Customs officials also thwarted 1,046 attempts to smuggle tobacco and its derivatives into the country. They further dealt with 15 cases related to sums of money, and three incidents involving weapons and their accessories, the SPA stated in a separate report.

The ZATCA has called on the public to support its efforts by reporting smuggling activities through its designated hotline, 1910, via email at [email protected], or by calling the international number 009661910.

The ZATCA assured the public that all reports will be treated confidentially, with financial rewards for accurate information.