Manama: A Saudi border patrol has arrested a lorry driver and seized 37 kilograms of qat, the evergreen plant whose leaves are used as a stimulant, hidden in the petrol tank and spare tyre.
The banned substance was part of the 8,309 kilograms seized by the police in one day in various areas in the southern part of the vast Saudi kingdom, local reports said.
“The border patrols in Jizan were able to arrest 245 foreigners from various nationalities trying to enter the kingdom illegally, 17 smugglers, 8,309 kilograms of qat, 160 kilograms of fireworks, 147 sheep, five cars, a motorcycle and other items,” the police said, quoted by local daily Okaz on Tuesday.
Abdul Aziz Al Subhi, the head of the border guards in Jizan, said that smuggling increased ahead of the Haj (pilgrimage) season.
Hundreds of foreigners, mainly Africans, regularly attempt to enter the kingdom illegally, lured by promises of lucrative contracts or offers. Attempts increase just ahead of the Haj season when millions of people, foreigners and Saudis, gather in and around the city of Makkah in western Saudi Arabia for the annual rituals.
The five-day Haj season is expected to start in mid-October.
