Saudi border guards seize 1.3 tonnes of hashish in southern campaign
Saudi border guards thwarted several smuggling attempts in the Jazan, Asir and Najran regions, seizing 1.3 tonnes of hashish alongside narcotic pills and khat. The operations led to the arrest of 1,823 people, mostly Ethiopian and Yemeni nationals.
Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Border Guard thwarted several drug
smuggling attempts in the southern Jazan, Asir and Najran regions, seizing 1.3
tonnes of hashish.[1][2]The 28 December 2024 Saudi Press Agency release also
reports 1,388,622 narcotic pills and 136 tonnes of khat taken in the same
operations.[1][2]
The operations led to 1,823 arrests: 959 Ethiopians, 849 Yemenis, three
Somalis and Eritreans, and 12 Saudis.[1][2]The release urges the public to
report smuggling on the 911 and 995 hotlines and says all reports are treated
with strict confidentiality.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Saudi Border Guard land patrols in the Al-Ardah sector of Jazan region foiled an attempt to smuggle 46 kilograms of hashish, the directorate announced on 11 November 2026. It said initial legal procedures had been completed and the seized drugs handed over to the competent authority, without naming any suspect or giving an arrest figure.
Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Border Guard said it foiled attempts to smuggle 76 kg of hashish and arrested those it called the smugglers, without saying how many. The same announcement reported 366,280 amphetamine tablets and 163,750 tablets under medical-trade controls, none of which is counted as cannabis.
Saudi Arabia's customs posts recorded 1,205 seizures of prohibited goods at land, sea and air crossings in one week, including 36 types of narcotics such as hashish, cocaine and Captagon. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority gave no cannabis quantity, arrest count or breakdown of the individual cases.
Saudi Border Guard land patrols in the Dhahran al-Janub sector of Asir region stopped an attempt to smuggle 11 kg of hashish along with 14,800 tablets under medical-trade controls and 2,950 amphetamine tablets. Another operation announced the same day led to the arrest of four violators of the border security law over 80 kg of khat in Asir.
