NAJRAN, 27 May — Security officers have arrested two Saudi men who were trying to smuggle 515 kilograms of hashish and a cache of arms into the country from neighboring Yemen, local newspapers reported yesterday.
Police patrolling the border stopped the smugglers in the border town of Najran after a high-speed chase and a shoot-out.
They uncovered the cargo of hashish, a submachine-gun, a pistol and 200 rounds concealed in a vehicle driven by one of the smugglers, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily said.
The newspaper said one of the two smugglers, who was driving a brand new Toyota pickup, opened fire on security officers. “When he found himself cornered by the police, he set his vehicle on fire with the contrabands inside. But the security officers quickly put out the fire and confiscated the truck and its cargo,” the paper added. Police seized two machine guns, three magazines and 82 rounds of ammunition from another car, it added.
Najran Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Saud said the government would make all-out efforts to prevent cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons.
