RIYADH: An Arab expatriate was caught red-handed selling steroids and sex stimulants in Madinah.

The arrest was made by Madinah police.

Abdul Hadi Al-Shahrani, chief of Madinah police, said the suspect is an engineer by profession who was involved in selling drugs that are not licensed under Saudi regulations.

The arrest was made while he was selling the drugs from his car on his way home from office. The stock of illicit medicines in the car and at his home was seized by police.

According to Saudi regulations, sale of unlicensed drugs is prohibited and the seller faces severe punishment depending on the degree of the ill-effects of the drugs.

Madinah police also arrested a Moroccan expatriate for selling used mattresses as new. The trader would re-package the used mattresses and sell them in the retail market as new, cheating customers.

Al-Shahrani said that the arrested businessman was handed over to the inspection department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI), which ensures that consumers are not subjected to fraud and manipulative practices and aims to eradicate the supply of counterfeit and adulterated products in the local market.

The ministry, he said, will take the necessary action according to the current regulations.

MCI conducts regular inspection rounds of warehouses and commercial institutions to verify their operations and ensure the absence of fraud and manipulative practices.

The ministry emphasized that it will not hesitate in imposing legal penalties on offenders and those involved in fraud which puts the health and safety of consumers at risk. It called on consumers to lodge complaints or observations through the toll-free number 1900, or through the application of a commercial notification.