The Saudi Authorities has continued their efforts to fight against drug smuggling. It has busted two attempts to smuggle more than eight million Captagon amphetamine pills at the Jeddah Islamic Port. The pills were found hidden in a consignment of onions and silicon barrels coming into Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Customs Authority conducted the bust on Friday; around 3,054,000 of the Captagon pills were discovered through the consignment of onions in the first attempt. Around 5,281,250 were found in the silicon barrels during the second attempt.
According to the port authorities, the first consignment was evaluated by various security techniques and police dogs recruited at the port.
According to the preliminary information, three people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the smuggling operation. Later, the accused were detained by the Directorate General of the Narcotics Control.
Meanwhile, the authorities have stated that stricter restrictions would be implemented at ports to decrease drug smuggling attempts across the country.
Over the past few years, the cases related to the smuggling or trafficking of Captagon pills, a synthetic amphetamine widely distributed and consumed throughout the Middle East as illegal narcotics, have been increasing day by day.
Such significant smuggling operations include 33 million pills captured in Greece in 2019. Another shipment was busted in April 2020, when the Saudi Authorities caught more than 44 million pills and the following month, the largest shipment was seized by the authorities of Italy, amounting to over 84 million pills.
Reportedly, last year, Saudi Arabia’s custom seized as many as 600 million pills over the span of a year. The government also implemented a ban on importing fruits and vegetables from Lebanon, which is believed to be a hub for drug smuggling operations.
Authorities have, however, urged everyone to call the confidential security reports line on 1910, or may contact via the international number 00966114208417, if they receive any information related to the smuggling operations. The government has further assured rewards for the accurate tip-off.