JEDDAH, 11 May 2004 — Saudi Arabia yesterday vowed to crack down on the drug trade to protect the Kingdom’s youth.
“The menace of drug traders” who were targeting young men and women “demands security awareness and must be confronted with the utmost force,” Interior Minister Prince Naif said.
The prince appeared primarily to blame illegal residents in the Kingdom for the problem.
“The violators of iqama and labor rules (a reference to overstayers or illegal residents) have created a spate of security and social problems,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.
Saudi Arabia recently announced 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.
Maj. Gen. Othman Al-Assaf said police caught eight suspects — seven from an East Asian country and one Arab — in the act of receiving the drugs at a warehouse. Three others who took part in the operation were arrested later.
Prince Naif also emphasized the need for awareness campaigns about the dangers of drugs.
The interior minister was receiving Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Fareeh, the newly appointed director general of the Drug Combating Department, and Maj. Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed, director general of the Passports Department.
According to Interior Ministry figures, Saudi Arabia, home to around seven million foreigners, deports more than 700,000 illegal immigrants every year.
