Saudi Arabia foils 575kg hashish smuggling bid

Cairo: Saudi border patrols had thwarted an attempt to smuggle 575 kilograms of hashish into the south-western region of Najran, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.

A vehicle was spotted Friday crossing the border and when security guards asked those inside it to stop they started firing at them, the border guards’ spokesman Lt Col. Mesfr Bin Ghanam said.

Security forces responded and intercepted the vehicle. One smuggler died of gunshot wounds and another was arrested, according to the official.

The duo were found to be ex-cons wanted over links to organised crime gangs involved in smuggling drugs into the kingdom, he said.

A haul of 575 kg of hashish were found inside the vehicle.

Drug trafficking is a crime punishable by the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.