JEDDAH, 19 May 2005 — It is a unique place with some streets too narrow to drive a car down. Perhaps it could even become a charming place, but the narrow streets have become mean streets as drug-dealers and their customers have taken over Al-Hufrah.

The massive crime sweep that cleaned the criminals out of many Jeddah neighborhoods has residents wishing — and hoping that the force of the law will come to Al-Hufrah.

Residents of Al-Hufrah inside the Al-Jamia neighborhood south of Jeddah are having a difficult time dealing with overstayers practicing all sorts of illegal activities and bothering the locals. Thefts and break-ins are a daily occurrence. They pray every day that the police sweep their streets of those who prey on them, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

Residents say they don’t feel safe anymore. They say a well-planned police raid would rid the area of gangs and drugs. They say Jeddah would lose one of its most dangerous trouble spots. They say the narrow roads and isolated spots in the area won’t deter police who raid most dangerous areas of this place. They hope police will listen.

Drug dealers watch for addicts looking for drugs. There are lookouts who observe the neighborhood entries and exits in search of customers. They also warn the dealers when police are around.

At first glance, the area looks like a castle, and it’s difficult to enter because of the narrow roads and randomly placed houses. If a stranger enters the neighborhood, the lookouts challenge him. If they learn he is searching for drugs, then they will help him get what he wants. Although the dealers are of many nationalities, some of them are Saudis. Not only men are doing the dealing; women are involved and selling drugs to female buyers.

Some roads in the area are three meters wide and some only a meter wide — inaccessible by cars.

“It’s difficult to arrest these drug dealers and lookouts because it’s easy to hide in narrow roads and in the random houses,” said one angry resident. “We witnessed many sad incidents of young men taking drugs in this area. They buy drugs and take it inside the neighborhood so they won’t get caught by police at entry points. We can’t do anything because the general atmosphere is unhealthy.”

Another resident who refused to be identified said that people are afraid to enter the place, and the general impression of the area is very bad.

“I’ve been living in this place for seven years now,” he said. “Gangs and drug-dealers are everywhere, and they are terrorizing residents. People are afraid to report these dealers because if they did, they’d face harassment. No one knows what are they capable of doing because they are murderers.”

He wants police to cut the supply.

“I wish the police would come and clean this place up,” he said. “Suspects should be arrested, and drugs should be seized. Addicts should be stopped from coming to this place because if there are no buyers, the sellers won’t have anyone to sell to.”

The residents hope the police will convince the overstayers that they have overstayed their welcome — in Al-Hufrah.