Eastern Province Mayoralty's inspectors have impounded four large tracked loaders and 25 trucks carrying a combined 130 tons of soft sand, Al-Yaum Arabic daily reported. The truck drivers, who fled upon seeing the inspectors, were in the process of stealing soft sand at different locations in the region. Commenting on the foiled theft, Eastern Province Deputy Mayor Abdullah Al-Qarni said stealing sand is against the law and poses economic and environmental threats. Ayedh Al-Shehrani, who headed the mayoralty's massive raid, said violators risk having their trucks impounded and getting fined. A fine can reach SR10,000 while trucks can be impounded for a month, he added. The truck drivers involved in the soft sand theft were fined between SR4,000-SR10,000 and asked to sign undertakings that they would not repeat the same violation. Al-Shehrani lauded the efforts exerted by highway patrol officers who stopped the trucks full of stolen sand and stood guard at entrances and exits to prevent drivers from entering the city. A contractor based in Al-Khobar said truck drivers sell each load for SR300 while it only costs a truck driver SR25 to load his truck with sand. “Most sand thieves sneak onto the roads in the middle of the night because roads are empty and no one can see them,” said the contractor on condition of anonymity. Lately, citizens of the Eastern Province have noted a rise in the number of trucks stealing sand from different locations in the region, especially those near deserts and the Riyadh-Dammam Highway, and have called upon the concerned authorities to stop and fight the problem. __