Anti-narcotics sleuths take out drugs hidden in shock absorbers. (SPA)

Security agencies have arrested 1,197 people, including 456 Saudis, for allegedly smuggling drugs worth SR2 billion into the Kingdom over the past five months, said Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, Interior Ministry spokesman, on Tuesday.

“The smugglers had tried to bring in drugs valued at more than SR1.87 billion,” he added.

He said 741 of the arrested smugglers are foreigners from 35 countries.

Al-Turki said security officers had faced armed resistance from the drug smugglers and traffickers during the operations.

“As a result, 43 policemen were injured,” he said. Four smugglers died, while six others were injured in gun battles.

He said the various types of drugs seized from smugglers included more than 21 million amphetamine pills. “About 13 million of these pills came from Sudan and we were able to catch them with the support of Sudanese security agencies,” the spokesman said.

The huge drug bust also included around 16,370 kg of hashish, 7.3 kg of raw heroin and more than 5.8 kg of heroin ready for marketing, besides 6.3 kg of ‘shabu’ and 79,960 other narcotic tablets.

“We have also confiscated SR17.65 million in cash from the smugglers and traffickers, in addition to 506 weapons and 18,193 live ammunition,” the spokesman said, while praising the cooperation of Saudi customs and other government departments in combating drugs.

 
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