Saudi security forces have arrested four Asian nationals engaged in drug trafficking and peddling in Jeddah, said Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry.

“We arrested them after receiving tip-offs about their drug trafficking activities in the city,” he said.

Al-Turki said a special security force raided the hide-out of the drug traffickers on Monday. He identified the four Asians as Pakistanis. “They were carrying 2 kg of raw heroin,” he pointed out. He said the four men have been handed over to the department concerned.

During the past five months, police have arrested 1,197 people, including 456 Saudis, for allegedly smuggling drugs worth SR2 billion into the Kingdom. Al-Turki said 741 of the arrested smugglers were foreigners from 35 countries. Security officers had faced armed resistance from the drug smugglers and traffickers during the operations.

“As a result, 43 policemen were injured,” he said. Four smugglers died, while six others were injured in gun battles. He said the various types of drugs seized from smugglers included more than 21 million amphetamine pills. “About 13 million of these pills came from Sudan and we were able to catch them with the support of Sudanese security agencies.”