JEDDAH – Eighty citizens were fined a total of SR1 million while some were sentenced to one year in prison after being found guilty of attempting to smuggle in illegal workers and unlicensed pilgrims who wanted to perform Haj. Authorities also confiscated their vehicles. One of the defendants was fined SR280,000 while another was fined SR110,000. Different fines were imposed on other drivers The head of the expatriates' affairs department in Jeddah, Brig. Hussein Al-Harthy, said all drivers were caught red-handed at different checkpoints. Illegal workers with no residency permits were deported and those without Haj permits were asked to return to the cities or towns they came from. Anyone transporting illegal workers will receive a fine of up to SR100,000, a six-month prison sentence, or both. Those who transport pilgrims without Haj permits will be given a fine of up to SR10,000 and their vehicles impounded. — SG
