On Thursday, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the foiling of "one of the networks involved in the production and smuggling of drugs associated with the Lebanese terrorist organization 'Hezbollah', attempting to smuggle no less than half a million amphetamine pills into the Kingdom." The security spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Interior, Colonel Talal Al-Shalhoub, stated that "proactive security monitoring resulted in thwarting an attempt by one of the networks involved in the production and smuggling of drugs linked to Hezbollah to smuggle 451,807 amphetamine pills to the Kingdom by sea from Lebanon to the Republic of Nigeria, hidden inside mechanical equipment. This was coordinated with relevant authorities in Nigeria, who intercepted the shipment before it could be sent to another country and subsequently to the Kingdom," according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Al-Shalhoub confirmed that "the Kingdom continues to monitor criminal activities targeting its security and youth with drugs, countering and thwarting them, as well as arresting those involved," noting the "positive cooperation of the relevant authorities in Nigeria in tracking and seizing narcotic substances." Last June, Saudi Arabia announced the foiling of an attempt to smuggle 14.4 million narcotic pills in a shipment of iron plates coming from Lebanon, following a decision issued on April 23 of the same year to ban the entry of Lebanese fruits and vegetables or their passage through its territory, after thwarting the smuggling of over two million narcotic pills hidden in shipments of Lebanese fruits.
