Cairo: Saudi customs said it had foiled an attempt to smuggle 114.9 kilograms of hashish at a border crossing with Oman.
The haul was seized hidden inside a pick-up truck coming to the kingdom via the Empty Quarter border crossing, the Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca) said in a statement.
On examining the vehicle, the haul was discovered hidden into its rear box, Zatca added, posting a video showing its personnel seizing the drugs.
There was no word about arrests in connection to the attempt.
In recent months, Saudi authorities have stepped up a crackdown against narcotics smuggling and trafficking.
Authorities there have reported a string of thwarted attempts to smuggle drugs into the kingdom.
Last month, Zatca announced foiling at the Jeddah port an attempt to smuggle 2.2 million Captagon pills hidden into a cargo of baklava desserts. Two would-be recipients were arrested in connection to the haul.
In July, Saudi Arabia’s anti-drug police said they had thwarted in cooperation with their Omani counterpart an attempt to smuggle over 6 million amphetamine pills hidden in a shipment of pastry, citrus and nuts.
Also in July, Saudi customs officers said they had had seized 1.3kg of heroin and 41 grams of opium inside a traveller’s guts upon his arrival at the King Abdulaziz airport in the Red Sea of Jeddah.
In March, the kingdom’s anti-drug police said they had seized 4.9 million amphetamine pills hidden in a shipment of cables.
Drug smuggling and trafficking is an offence punishable by up to death in Saudi Arabia.
