Saudi Arabia has renewed its resolve to fight drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorism and other forms of cross-border crimes.
Maj. Gen. Mansour Al- Turki, spokeman of the Ministry of Interior, pladged to fight the drug menace and said that security agencies arrested 991 drug traffickers of different nationalities, including 337 Saudi Nationals, during the last five months of 2013.
Al- Turki said “all those arrested were invloved in trafficking narcotics in huge quantities and whose market value will exceed SR2.5 billion.”
He said that the crackdown covered the last five months, including ramadan.
Among those arrested were 337 Saudis and 654 foreigners from 33 different nationalities, Al- Turki told a news conference.
He said “the Kingdom has identified drug trafficking as a top national security threat linked to militancy in the region and has put its powerful security organs in charge of fighting it.”
“We are waging a war and it is a war against a new form of terrorism, drug trafficking,” said the Interior minister spokeman.
He said security men often faced “armed resistance from drug traffickers and smugglers” in different security operations, which resulted in the inhury of 19 security man and three deaths.
He said confiscated packages included 7.9 kg of row heroin, 1.3 kg of processed heroin ready for distribution, 20.29 tons of hashish, 15,293,189 capsules of amphetamines, 2.33 kg of cocaine, SR14.45 million in cash, 350 pieces of machine guns, 136 pistols, 29 guns and 7,580 rounds of munition.
Add Comment