Saleh Al-Khelaiwi told reporters at the Saudi Journalist Association on Sunday that fraud and counterfeiting costs the Kingdom dearly.

He said the confiscated items were worth SR190 million.

Al-Khelaiwi added that the Kingdom was able to prevent 260,000 counterfeit car tires from entering the Kingdom. He admitted, however, that not all other car parts were monitored in the same manner when they enter the country.

The role of customs departments, Al-Khelaiwi said, is to maintain quality control on products that come from other countries.

He added that all ship containers are checked and random samples taken to the Ministry of Commerce’s laboratories to check them for their quality.

He said more than 30,000 samples were examined during the first half of this fiscal year.

Al-Khelaiwi said the Customs Department had signed agreements with five companies that specialize in protecting international trademarks. It will seek their assistance in distinguishing between forged and authentic items.

Customs departments, according to Al-Khelaiwi, handle 2,000 incoming containers daily at Al Batha port, with 1,700 outgoing.

At Hudaitha port, the daily number of incoming containers is 1,200, with 1,700 outgoing.

At Jeddah Islamic port there are 1,200 containers, while at King Fahd Bridge there are 1,600 entering and exiting daily, said Al-Khelaiwi.

He said all shipments enter in the early evening and are usually examined by 1 a.m.