RIYADH, 24 July 2006 — Police smashed a seven-member gang of expatriate drug dealers and bootleggers in the Batha district of the capital on Saturday, reported Al-Riyadh newspaper. The special police anti-narcotics division arrested the gang, which mainly consisted of Pakistani nationals, in a sting operation targeted at drug dealers in the city. Undercover police officers presented themselves as customers pretending to buy drugs and were led to the gang’s apartment in a neighborhood mainly populated by Asian workers. As the undercover policemen entered the apartment uniformed police officers rushed in and arrested the gang seizing large quantities of alcohol and drugs. In a similar operation, anti-drugs police in Riyadh arrested three Saudis and a Yemeni who were in possession of Captagon tablets. Riyadh police also arrested 70 Sudanese at various inner city suburbs and animal markets in Riyadh. The Sudanese were in the Kingdom without proper work and residential documents. Another 10 Sudanese men were arrested running a slaughterhouse in the Sulay area.
Makkah Police in Fight Against Car Crime
MAKKAH, 24 July 2006 — In the last two months 187 stolen cars have been found and returned to their owners and 300 cars have been confiscated by the police in relation to various traffic violations and other crimes, Al-Bilad newspaper reported. A police source said that the cars had been stolen from various neighborhoods across the city. The source also mentioned that in the last two months, police have also arrested 82 people in relation to various crimes and that 15 people have been arrested for impersonating police officers. The police also unearthed 157 cases of document forgery.
Random Road Checks Net Weapons
HAIL — Police officers in Hail seized weapons, bullets and locally brewed liquor from several cars routinely stopped on the Qasim Road this week. Police officers also arrested seven illegal immigrants while conducting the checks, Al-Jazirah reported.
Ailing Yemeni Caught Smuggling Liquor
JIZAN, 24 July 2006 — Border guards near Jizan arrested Yemeni smuggler while trying to smuggle a large quantity of liquor to the Kingdom, Al-Eqtisadiah reported. The police discovered that the man was also HIV positive. The Yemeni man was found carrying the contraband in a backpack close to a crossing point. As his appearance suggested poor health, the officials sent him to the nearby Samita General Hospital for checkup and found that he was suffering from the killer disease. The man will be sent back to his country in view of his health condition.
