Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Interior, has absolved Iran of blame for the spread of narcotics in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, saying it is “difficult to blame Iran as a state and a government for such a thing”. In a press statement after the opening of the Forum for Prisoner and Family Welfare Committees on Tuesday, Prince Ahmed said that “narcotics may pass through its (Iran's) territories from areas of Afghanistan and other regions which produce drugs”. The Prince urged the public to report any drug dealing to the Ministry of Interior and other relevant bodies, and praised the work of authorities working to combat drugs. “Great efforts are being made by the Kingdom's anti-drugs bodies to confront the menace of drugs and preempt smuggling into the Kingdom,” he said. “Security coordination already exists between the Kingdom and Yemen to fight drugs smuggling and dealing.” The Prince also commented on reports of Al-Qaeda involvement in the drugs trade. “I cannot confirm or deny them, but we have heard reports claiming that drugs are being marketed from Afghanistan to the entire world,” he said. “Obviously money obtained by Al-Qaeda or any party from the sale of drugs is absolutely ‘haram' (prohibited). The question is, how can people who call for Jihad in the way of Allah Almighty accept money that comes from drugs?” As to pending terrorist trials, Prince Ahmed said: “Trials of terrorists will be announced as soon as they are concluded. There are Preliminary Courts and the Cassation Court, and we hope that procedures will be conducted in a fair manner.”
