Authorities seize millions of Captagon pills at Jeddah, Empty Quarter ports
Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority foiled two attempts to smuggle more than 2.4 million Captagon pills into the Kingdom.
The pills were found hidden in consignments received at Jeddah Islamic Port and the Empty Quarter Port.
The authority said that authorities at the Empty Quarter Port seized 1,213,378 Captagon pills.
In the second attempt at Jeddah Islamic Port, authorities seized 1,215,353 pills hidden in a cement shipment.
The pills had a combined street value of between $24 million and $60 million based on figures published in the International Addiction Review journal.
The authority said that after confiscating the drugs, coordination with the General Directorate of Drug Control led to the swift arrest of six drug smugglers.
It stressed that it is continuing to tighten customs controls around the Kingdom’s imports and exports, and is conducting round-theclock operations to prevent drug smuggling in order to continue to enhance the security of the community — and the Kingdom — by reducing the entry of contraband into Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this week, Saudi authorities in Riyadh thwarted a separate attempt to smuggle millions of amphetamine tablets.
General Directorate of Narcotics Control Spokesman Maj. Mohammed Al-Nujaidi said that during a security follow-up operation targeting drug smuggling and distribution networks, officials seized 2,035,200 amphetamine pills hidden inside a shipment of kitchen wood planks.
Four people found in possession of drugs were arrested in Riyadh and were referred to the Public Prosecution.
The authority called on members of the public with any information about past, current or future smuggling attempts to come forward. The number allocated for reporting drug-related offenses is 1910 locally or 00966114208417 internationally.
Members of the public can also report suspicious activities by visiting zatca.gov.sa.
A cash reward will be handed out to anyone who alerts authorities to proven smuggling attempts.