Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette RIYADH – There has been a sharp decline in the smuggling and distribution of drugs in the Kingdom over the past five months, according to the Ministry of Interior. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the official spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, told a press conference Tuesday that there has been a 60 percent decline in the smuggling of amphetamine pills during the period. Authorities have also witnessed a decline in the number of people arrested for involvement in smuggling of drugs by one third and in distribution by half. Additional information about seven separate gangs known for smuggling and distributing drugs have also been revealed by the authorities. Of the 61 gang members, 31 are Saudis, 22 Yemenis, seven Ethiopians, one Palestinian and a woman with unknown nationality. Their attempt to import large quantities of drugs into the Kingdom from different locations have been foiled. Al-Turki said in one of their sting operations two Jordanians and a Saudi were arrested while trying to smuggle 17,600 amphetamine pills into the country.
