JEDDAH, 15 March 2004 — Some 1,600 infiltrators and smugglers have been arrested and a large quantity of weapons and explosives seized in the past two weeks along the Kingdom’s porous borders, a newspaper reported yesterday.
The director of Border Guard, Lt. Gen. Talal Al-Anqawi, told the daily Okaz that 15,000 rounds of ammunition, three bombs and 22 weapons parts were seized in the past 15 days.
He added that patrols by guards also uncovered smuggling operations involving 600 bottles of alcohol.
Earlier in March, Saudi authorities announced that 150,000 infiltrators and smugglers were arrested and a large number of submachine guns and grenades seized between December and February.
The Border Guard said they had arrested more than 147,000 infiltrators and 1,800 smugglers, seized 71 weapons, more than 60,000 bullets, 100 sticks of dynamite and 14 bombs.
The statement added that 68,335 narcotic pills, 1,462 kilos of hashish and 2,622 bottles of alcohol were also seized.
Saudi Arabia, which is fighting terrorism and the smuggling of weapons in the country, has been trying to tighten control over its frontiers, especially with Yemen.
Both countries agreed recently to step up security along the common border to stop infiltrations and smuggling from Yemen to Saudi Arabia.
