Cairo: Saudi Arabia said it has foiled attempts to smuggle around 2.4 million Captagon drugs into its territory.
The Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca) said the haul had been seized hidden in consignments in two smuggling attempts.
The first was uncovered at the Empty Quarter border outlet with Oman where around 1.2 million pills had been found stashed in a consignment of doors. The illicit stuff had been hidden inside the door cavities, according to Zatca.
The second included 1.2 million Captagon pills found hidden in a shipment of cement bags, Zatca said.
After the attempts were thwarted, coordination was made with the Saudi General Directorate of Narcotic Control and six people were arrested inside the kingdom in connection with the smuggling bids.
In recent months, Saudi Arabia has announced thwarting several attempts to smuggle drugs into its territory.
Last week, the Saudi anti-drug police said they had seized more than 2 million narcotic tablets hidden inside a consignment of wooden planks used for kitchens in the capital Riyadh.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said last month that border guard patrols had foiled bids to smuggle large amounts of drugs into several areas of the kingdom including 671 kilograms of hashish, and 26.5 tons of the stimulant qat.
Eighty-two smugglers were arrested in connection to the thwarted attempts. They included 18 Saudi citizens and 64 violators of the kingdom’s border security rules, according to the ministry.
Drug smuggling and trafficking is an offence punishable by up to death in Saudi Arabia.
