Saudi Authorities Foil Major Drug-Smuggling Attempts

Saudi authorities have intercepted a series of major drug-smuggling attempts during 2026, seizing large quantities of amphetamine (including Captagon), methamphetamine (shabu), hashish, khat, and tablets subject to medical circulation regulations at land, sea, and air entry points across the Kingdom.

At Jeddah Islamic Port, inspectors uncovered more than 4.7 million Captagon and amphetamine tablets concealed within a charcoal shipment in late August 2026. Earlier that month, 58.6 kg of methamphetamine were found hidden inside men's shoes in another shipment at the same port. Separately, over 42 kg of methamphetamine were discovered inside a vehicle's fuel tank at Jadidat Arar land port, while 1,950,581 amphetamine tablets were seized in a lentil shipment at the Al-Haditha land crossing.

Across all customs ports between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, authorities thwarted the smuggling of roughly 1,098 kg of narcotic substances and about 25.1 million narcotic and prohibited pills.

The Border Guard also reported significant seizures in the Tabuk, Jazan, Asir, and Najran regions during 2026, including more than 2.6 million regulated tablets, over 900,000 amphetamine tablets, around 138 tons of khat, and about 2.8 tons of hashish. Several foreign nationals were arrested in connection with attempts in Asir and Jazan.

How the seizures unfold

Narcotics are detected during routine customs and border inspections using scanning systems, detection equipment, trained dogs, and manual searches. After each seizure, authorities complete preliminary legal procedures and coordinate with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to arrest intended recipients inside the Kingdom. Suspects are then referred to the Public Prosecution for investigation under Saudi anti-drug and anti-smuggling laws.

For residents and expats, the sustained crackdown underscores strict enforcement at all points of entry and the serious legal consequences of any involvement in narcotics offences.

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