Border Guards have arrested 51,808 individuals who tried to enter the Kingdom illegally and 3,800 others who tried to leave the country illegally, said Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of the department, adding that the arrests took place last month.

“Our officers have also held 1,534 smugglers belonging to different nationalities and foiled attempts to bring in 2,085 kg of hashish, 202,787 kg of qat and 715 pieces of weapons,” Al-Ghamdi said. “Our officers also came under fire for 370 times during the month,” he added.

He said the Border Guards are ready to sacrifice their lives in the service of the Kingdom and its people, adding that they have achieved a lot of expertise in confronting smugglers and other criminals.

Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Jameel, deputy director general of the Drug Combating Department, emphasized the government’s efforts to foil drug smuggling attempts at national and international levels.

He spoke about the national program for protecting people from drugs. “This program aims at creating an environment free of drugs,” he said while stressing the media’s role in enhancing public awareness on drugs.