RIYADH – Eight people, including a Saudi citizen, were arrested in Riyadh with a large quantity of liquor, anti-drug authorities said on Thursday. The gang was comprised of a Saudi, three Indians, two Yemenis and two others of unknown nationality, a spokesman for the Anti-Drug Directorate said. He said the gang was involved in smuggling of huge quantities of liquor into the Kingdom.
The spokesman said a total of 18,141 liquor bottles ready for sale in addition to some 145,000 empty bottles were seized from a warehouse in the city.
Officials raided the warehouse following a tip-off. The warehouse was kept under surveillance for several days before the officers stormed the facility.
A huge amount of cash was also seized, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a total of 28 million counterfeit products have been seized by the General Customs Department during the first three months of 2015. This was an increase of 16 percent over the same period last year.
The department also discovered that 26 million products failed to meet the required standards and criteria.
A total of 38 kilograms of narcotics, including 9.7 million amphetamine pills, as well as 106,000 bottles of liquor were seized during the same period.
