Saudi authorities foil attempted smuggling of $2m worth of Captagon pills

Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority's officer showing part of drugs shipment uncovered at Saudi ports (File/SPA)
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  • Customs Authority also discovers 403,124 Pregabalin, 1,990 Tramadol unlicensed, prescription-only pills

JEDDAH: º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s counter-narcotics authorities on Sunday foiled attempts to smuggle $2 million worth of Captagon drugs and nearly half a million unlicensed Pregabalin and Tramadol pills.

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority said in a statement that it had seized the illegal drugs and unlicensed pills at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah; the inland Dry Port in Riyadh; and Al-Batha Port.

Authorities at the airport in Jeddah found 200,000 Captagon pills hidden in mail parcels containing household utensils. The drugs have a street value ranging from $2 million to $5 million. 

Captagon, a type of amphetamine, is used by young men and teenage boys across the Middle East and has a street value of between $10 and $25 a pill, according to research by the International Journal of Addiction Research.

The attempt to smuggle Captagon into the Kingdom was the second in less than a week. Counter-narcotics authorities uncovered a shipment of 12 million amphetamine pills on Wednesday at the Red Sea port of Jeddah which had been hidden inside a container of building materials.

The authorities also thwarted the smuggling of 403,124 unlicensed Pregabalin pills at the inland Dry Port near Riyadh. Pregabalin is a prescription-only drug for anxiety, epilepsy, and nerve pain treatment, but its abuse has led to several deaths in º£½ÇÖ±²¥, the UAE and Jordan. In countries such as the UK it is illegal to buy or possess Pregabalin without a medical prescription.  

An attempt to smuggle 1,990 unlicensed Tramadol pills — a prescription-only painkiller â€” and 500 grams of Shabu was thwarted at Al-Batha Port. The Customs Authority said the Shabu was found hidden in a shipment of washing machines.

The Customs Authority and the General Directorate of Narcotics Control have announced the arrest of 10 people in connection with the drug smuggling cases.