The Interior Ministry has fined 27 Saudis SR3.47 million for violating the country’s laws by aiding and abetting illegal expatriates in the country including Makkah and Baha. They were also named and shamed in the media.

The labor and interior ministries have been working together to identify and punish those who break the law, according to a report in a local publication on Monday.

On Sunday, the ministries confirmed the arrest of 174,461 violators during joint security inspections over the past month. Most were arrested in Riyadh, according to a source at the Labor Ministry. Inspectors are now using new technology on tablet computers to identify people immediately based on their residence numbers.

In a joint media statement, the ministries said the offenses committed by Saudis include employing illegal expatriates, smuggling them across the country’s borders, and allowing them to work independently.

Companies that employ illegal workers will be fined up to SR100,000, prohibited from bringing in employees for five years and publically shamed. The director of a company guilty of such violations would be jailed for two years, and possibly deported if he or she is an expatriate. The same applies to companies that allow their employees to run their own businesses illegally.

Haj and Umrah companies failing to report that pilgrims did not leave the country when their visas expired would be fined up to SR100,000, the report stated.

Citizens or foreign nationals who employ, transport, or shelter an illegal expatriate would be fined of up to SR100,000, named and shamed, jailed for two years, and face a five-year prohibition on recruiting workers.

Individuals would be fined SR50,000 and imprisoned for up to six months if they fail to report that their workers did not leave the country at the end of their work contracts.

Citizens and expatriates have been urged to report violations by calling 989. The list of violations and penalties has been published on the websites of both ministries.