JEDDAH: The famous Friday Market of Karantina area, south of Jeddah, which operates on Thursday and Friday, was raided Thursday morning by local and immigration authorities.
More than 200 tons of second hand clothes were confiscated along with 40 pickup trucks loaded with vegetables, according to the municipality. During the raid, many vendors ran away into the maze-like narrow alleys of the unorganized district, leaving their stalls behind.
Sabri Kadah, head of the Jamiah municipality branch, said that the market is held every Friday at Yazeed Ibn Naeem Street, known as Karantina Street, which stretches for about 900 meters.
The stalls, which are mainly operated by illegal African residents, start business after dawn and close by 11 a.m.
The stalls contain foodstuff, second hand clothes, furniture and various home appliances. The market is known to be the hub for selling stolen stuff, according to Mohammed Abid, a Saudi resident of Karantina area.
“I've seen what seems to be used car stereo systems and some home appliances that are sold for extremely low prices,” he said.
He said he had filed many complaints with the municipality but to no avail, until now.
“I’m happy to see such a big raid taking place and I hope that monitoring continues so that the market is not re-established,” he said.
