5m amphetamine pills seized after Saudi authorities tip off Lebanese customs
Talal bin Shalhoub, spokesman of the Saudi Ministry of Interior, said that intel shared with the Lebanese Customs falls within Saudi Arabia's proactive security follow-up of the activities of drug smuggling criminal networks.
He commended cooperation with relevant authorities in Lebanon in monitoring and seizing narcotic substances, stressing that the Kingdom continues to monitor, confront, and thwart criminal activities targeting the Kingdom's security and youth through narcotics, and to arrest those involved.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
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Syria's Interior Ministry Stresses Cooperation with Saudi Arabia to Combat Crime, Terrorism
The Syrian Ministry of Interior has confirmed it is coordinating closely with Saudi Arabia on joint security operations aimed at tackling organized crime and terrorist threats. Many of these efforts, officials say, remain deliberately out of the public eye for security reasons. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba revealed that cooperation between Damascus and Riyadh spans intelligence sharing, organizational support, and capacity building. He highlighted Saudi Arabia's advanced security structures and extensive experience, emphasizing that Syria has already benefited substantially from this collaboration. Al-Baba indicated that the coming period could see Saudi Arabia providing specialized training to Syrian units and personnel. In recent months, several high-level meetings have taken place, including talks early last month in Riyadh between Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif and his Syrian counterpart, Anas Khattab. According to the Saudi Press Agency, Prince Abdulaziz stressed that the meeting was held under directives from King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to supporting Syria's stability and sharing expertise. Discussions also focused on setting mechanisms to implement the Crown Prince's instructions to deliver comprehensive support to Syrian institutions. Al-Baba explained that security cooperation is primarily focused on countering two key threats: narcotics trafficking, particularly captagon, and terrorism linked to ISIS remnants and sabotage cells that carried out attacks in March. Just last week, the two interior ministries announced a significant joint operation in which Syrian authorities, acting on Saudi intelligence, seized large quantities of amphetamine tablets hidden inside industrial sites in Idlib and Aleppo provinces. The shipment was intended to be smuggled across the border. According to al-Baba, the operation successfully disrupted the movement of tens of thousands of captagon pills, describing it as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle smuggling networks linked to remnants of the former regime. He said many similar operations remain undisclosed due to operational sensitivities. In April, Saudi Arabia hosted a Syrian security delegation for an in-depth review of the Kingdom's policing practices and advanced security systems to help modernize Syria's own institutions. Talks between the two ministers also addressed broader cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, fighting organized crime, border protection, and intelligence sharing. Officials underscored that this partnership aims to create sustainable mechanisms to improve stability and security across Syria.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Saudi-Lebanese mission foils attempt to smuggle over 5 mln amphetamine pills
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior revealed Monday that it helped Lebanese Customs thwart an attempt to smuggle more than five million amphetamine pills, as part of the Kingdom's continued efforts to combat cross-border narcotics trafficking. The Kingdom provided critical intelligence that enabled Lebanon's Customs to seize a massive shipment of amphetamine pills, in a proactive move to disrupt international drug trafficking operations, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Security spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Interior, Talal al-Shalhoub, reportedly said the successful operation was the result of close coordination between Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Narcotics Control and Lebanese authorities. 'As part of proactive security monitoring of criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, the Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, provided intelligence that enabled Lebanon's Customs to foil an attempt to smuggle more than 5,000,000 amphetamine pills,' al-Shalhoub was quoted as saying. The narcotics were found concealed in glass and porcelain tableware inside a container that had been shipped from a third country to Lebanon, he added. Al-Shalhoub praised Lebanon's authorities for their cooperation and added that 'the Kingdom remains committed to combating criminal activities targeting its security and youth with narcotics, and to arresting those involved.' The operation highlights growing regional collaboration to tackle the illicit drug trade, particularly amid a rise in amphetamine smuggling attempts aimed at Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts in recent years to intercept drugs at their source and strengthen international intelligence-sharing to dismantle transnational criminal networks.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
5m amphetamine pills seized after Saudi authorities tip off Lebanese customs
RIYADH: An attempt to smuggle over 5 million amphetamine pills into Lebanon was thwarted after Saudi authorities provided intel to their Lebanese counterparts who intercepted the container where the pills were concealed inside glass and porcelain tableware. Talal bin Shalhoub, spokesman of the Saudi Ministry of Interior, said that intel shared with the Lebanese Customs falls within Saudi Arabia's proactive security follow-up of the activities of drug smuggling criminal networks. He commended cooperation with relevant authorities in Lebanon in monitoring and seizing narcotic substances, stressing that the Kingdom continues to monitor, confront, and thwart criminal activities targeting the Kingdom's security and youth through narcotics, and to arrest those involved.
