Mu'aissim slaughterhouse. — Okaz photo By Ali Bin Gharsan Okaz-Saudi Gazette HOLY SITES — Authorities have arrested 100 men who were attempting to smuggle sacrificial meat to different areas to be sold to restaurants. The men had promised trusting pilgrims they would distribute meat from slaughtered animals to the poor in Makkah. However, they were caught smuggling it to other regions where they planned to sell it to restaurants. The Emir of Makkah, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, has ordered authorities not to be lax with the conmen. He said they “ought to be dealt with sternly and immediately referred to the authorities for investigation and put on trial.” A South Asian man is believed to have led the gang who posed as cattle traders who distributed meat to the poor. He was arrested and found with SR125,000 in his possession — allegedly profits that he made in just six hours. Makkah mayoralty teams caught the men in the sheep pens in Al-Ka'kiyah and Al-Mu'aissim, Monday. Prince Khaled said: “All these men have violated the regulations and played havoc with pilgrims and people's health.” Authorities at Makkah's exit points have also been put on alert to check the smuggling of meat. Meanwhile, a dispute has erupted between Makkah Mayoralty and the Security Monitoring Committee (SMC) assigned to inspect sheep pens and kitchens. In a letter to the governorate of Makkah, the Mayoralty lambasted the SMC team for “not cooperating with the mayoralty and performing Haj without giving prior notice.” The mayoralty alleges the team absconded from their posts in Arafat and did not return until just before noon the next day when work was at its peak. This greatly impeded the mayoralties efforts to prevent violations by rogue meat traders. Another incident occurred On Eid day when a mayoralty team tried to inspect sheep sheds in Al-Mu'aissim area. A dispute occurred when the owners refused to vacate the sheds. The mayoralty alleges the SMC team allowed the owners of these “ramshackle sheds” to carry on with their activities. The mayoralty also alleges that the “SMC only allows us to open sheds if the number of sheep, goats and cattle does not exceed 1,500 heads.” It insisted: “The ensuing chaos meant our teams were not able to prevent crooks from slaughtering animals and selling the meat.” __
