Adnan Al-Shabrawi Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The police arrested the head of a gang of seven members for smuggling drugs into Briman Prison by hauling the drugs on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (drone) and flying it past security into the prison. Briman Prison surveillance cameras recorded a drone hovering over the fenced walls of the prison and landing on the rooftop of one of the buildings. The drone had four propellers and was being controlled by a remote control. The person behind the drone was nowhere nearby. A Briman Prison officer reported the drone was seized and investigated. The drone had a diameter of 45 cm. The officers found more than 2,000 amphetamine pills and a large amount of hashish hung on the drone. The operation was an attempt to smuggle the drugs into the prison for the prisoners. The police investigated the incident and was able to identify the person behind the operation. The investigation revealed the man was Saudi and was working with two of his brothers and four other accomplices in this operation. The investigations also revealed the man was in contact with a number of inmates. The inmates would transfer money to the man and he would provide them with drugs. The police managed to arrest the supplier of these drones as they are illegal in the Kingdom. the supplier was a Lebanese resident who informed the police the drone used in the operation was made in China. “I personally sold 10 drones to the man in question, each cost SR10,000. These drones have a camera installed on them with a frame of 300-meter length and 500-meter width. I am not involved in the drug smuggling operation as I only sold him the drones,” said the Lebanese resident. The investigation also showed the man had purchased 13 drones and some of them were distributed outside Jeddah. Other inmates reported these drones cause loud noise when they approach the prison and they have heard the noise numerous times on several preceding days. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution decided to open a new case in regards to the Lebanese supplier and the illegal drones he smuggled into the Kingdom from neighboring and foreign countries. As for the man the police arrested, the bureau has decided to take the man to court and open a case file after the Eid break.
