Saudi: Security Forces Seize 1.4 Million Captagon Pills Stashed in Shipment of Wooden Panels
Saudi Arabia’s security forces in Jeddah seized about 1.4 million Captagon pills, authorities announced on Monday. A stash of 1,395,930 Captagon pills was found hidden in a shipment of wooden panels. Saudi authorities made the discovery as the drugs were travelling through Jeddah Islamic Port.
Customs officers have arrested one man suspected of involvement with the shipment. Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority released a video on social media showing officers extracting the drugs from wooden panels stored in a lorry.
The agency said it was working with the General Directorate of Drug Control to tighten procedures around the kingdom’s imports and exports as well as security. Customs officers encouraged the public to share any evidence of drug use or supply within the kingdom, promising whistleblowers anonymity and rewards. Officials did not disclose the value of the drugs, but in line with global estimates, the haul would be expected to be worth millions of dollars.
Captagon is the most in-demand narcotic in the Middle East. In March, almost five million Captagon pills were seized by Saudi security forces in Riyadh after they were discovered in a shipment of electrical cables. A Syrian citizen was arrested and referred to prosecutors.
Captagon was created in 1961 as an alternative to amphetamine and methamphetamine. It was used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and less commonly, depression. However, it never received regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
