JEDDAH, 14 January 2003 — Local police have stormed a liquor factory here that was being operated by a group of expatriates, Okaz newspaper reported yesterday.
Police kept watch on the suspects, who were said to be producing liquor at a villa.
A number of men and women were caught red-handed inside. More than 60 barrels of beer and 3,384 bottles of liquor were ready for distribution.
Police were alerted when a patrol car noticed a car with what appeared to be a heavy load in the trunk. They gave chase and two other suspect vehicles arrived on the scene. All three vehicles were stopped and the occupants arrested and detained.
Police seized nearly 200 bottles of liquor from the vehicles.
Under interrogation, the detainees confessed to the existence of a distillery in the villa producing liquor that was distributed by a network of expatriates in the Al-Aziziya area.
After the subsequent arrests at the villa, police established that the detainees were from Yemen, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Neighbors say they had no idea that they were living next to a brewery.
