JEDDAH, 13 April 2004 — Saudi Arabia said yesterday its drug enforcement agency foiled an attempt to smuggle in more than five tons of hashish in the largest drug bust in the Kingdom’s history.
“The Drug Combating Department in the Riyadh region in cooperation with the customs at the dry port in Riyadh foiled an attempt to smuggle 5,200 kilograms of hashish into the Kingdom,” the department’s director said.
Maj. Gen. Othman Al-Assaf said police arrested eight suspects — seven from an East Asian country and one Arab — in the act of receiving the drugs at a warehouse. They later arrested three others who took part in the operation.
Al-Assaf said his officers sprang into action after receiving a tip-off from customs officials about the arrival of a large quantity of hashish at the port from an East Asian country.
“The drug consignment contained 5,291 kilograms of hashish, which is the largest quantity of drugs ever seized in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the official said.
