RIYADH: In a relentless campaign against those violating labor laws, the Ministry of Labor disclosed here on Tuesday that it has booked 5,480 illegal workers following 18,377 field inspections in the private sector.
The crackdown has been conducted in various regions of the Kingdom since the beginning of the Islamic calendar nearly two months ago. The ministry said the field visits cover government agencies in all regions as required by regulations.
Expats should practice their profession as per the residence permit and work only with the firms that recruited them. The Labor Ministry has zero tolerance for those violating the law.
“The ministry will proceed to check all irregularities as committees have been formed to follow up and coordinate with the relevant authorities,” the ministry observed.
5,480 expats held for flouting labor laws
5,480 expats held for flouting labor laws
Over 4.8m captagon pills found hidden in Jeddah charcoal shipment
- Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in illicit factories
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 4.8 million captagon pills through Jeddah’s port, hidden inside a shipment of charcoal.
The authority’s spokesperson Hamoud Al-Harbi said that a shipment arrived at the port, which, after being assessed by customs authorities, was found to contain a large amount of the illicit drug, hidden inside charcoal bags, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
After the pills were seized, the authority coordinated with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to ensure that the intended recipients were arrested.
Al-Harbi added that ZATCA is working to tighten customs control on Saudi imports and exports and stands ready to combat smuggling.
He called on members of the public to contribute to the fight against smuggling.
ZATCA may be contacted for security reports by phone from inside the Kingdom at 1910, outside the Kingdom at +9661910, or by email at [email protected].
The authority receives reports related to smuggling crimes and violations of the customs system in complete confidentiality and offers financial rewards to any reports that are accurate.
Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in illicit factories.
It is simple to produce compared to other narcotics, and drug smugglers have found a market for the substance in the Gulf states.
Syria under Bashar Assad was one of the largest producers of captagon in the region.
When his government was overthrown in December 2024, one of the first steps taken by the new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa was to crack down on the production of captagon in Syria.
