A study carried out by the Anti-Drug Administration at the Ministry of Interior has warned about the likelihood of a surge in drug crimes in the Kingdom, by nine percent annually until the year 2012, unless serious efforts are made to curb this phenomenon. The study showed that there are 90,300 drug peddlers in the Kingdom. Of these, 59,600 are Saudis. It indicated that the number of people implicated in drug trafficking has risen to 20,300. A total of 270,000 people have been addicted to drugs over the past 25 years. The research has revealed that 34 percent of peddlers, smugglers and drug users are unemployed. According to the study, hashish tops the list of the natural drugs used in the Kingdom, while Captagon occupied the top position in the list of chemical drugs. The study stressed the importance of directing education and media institutions, as well as the Khateebs of mosques, to focus on the role of families in helping their children to understand the dangers of drugs and to instill Islamic values in their minds. The report showed that last year there were 30,768 drug cases, with 37,828 people accused of drug-related crimes. Last year the authorities seized 62.1 million Captagon pills, 17 tons of hashish, 60,000 kilograms of heroin and 775,000 tons of qat.
