Custom officials recover narcotic pills hidden inside a tyre during an operation. — SPA RIYADH – The spokesman of the Ministry of Interior said that security forces have arrested 681 persons involved in smuggling and trafficking drugs worth roughly SR1.7 billion over the past four months. Of them, 96 are Saudi nationals while 585 belong to 33 different nationalities. The spokesman said that security forces conducted over 43 operations in which 20 security officers were injured. The contraband items seized include over six kilos of raw heroine, over 10 tons of hashish, over 13 million narcotic pills and over one and a half kilo of cocaine. Security forces also seized Saudi currency worth SR16,732,430. The spokesman appreciated the cooperation between the Customs Department and the concerned authorities that helped foil the smuggling attempts leading to the arrest of the smugglers.
