01-07-2025
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.
