Saudi Arabia foils bid to smuggle 58.6kg of meth hidden in men’s shoes; 3 arrested

Saudi Arabia has arrested three people after foiling an attempt to smuggle 58.6kg of methamphetamine into the Kingdom, Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca) announced on Saturday, August 15.

The drugs were concealed inside a shipment of men’s shoes at Jeddah Islamic Port, where customs officers detected the narcotics during an inspection using advanced security technologies and sniffer dogs.

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Following the seizure, Zatca coordinated with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to identify and track the intended recipients of the shipment inside Saudi Arabia. The operation led to the arrest of three people.

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Check out the video below, as shared by the authority:

This comes after a separate UAE-Saudi operation in June that foiled an attempt to smuggle 267,300 amphetamine tablets, highlighting continued cooperation between the two countries in tackling cross-border drug trafficking.

The operation, carried out by UAE security agencies and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Drug Control, was based on an exchange of information that helped intercept the drugs before they could be distributed. All those involved, who were of one Arab nationality, were arrested.

Authorities said that anticipating these criminal activities and thwarting smuggling attempts reflects an advanced level of operational integration, field monitoring, follow-up, joint coordination, and information exchange with regional and international agencies. They added that this strengthens the efforts to protect societies and consolidates joint efforts to confront smuggling methods and combat this scourge.

Written by

Elizabeth Gonzales

Elizabeth Gonzales is a Digital Journalist who loves writing about the expat life — and ways to make the most of it. When she's not looking for new hacks to share with readers, you may find her giving them a real laugh at one of her stand-up comic events.