The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) continued its intensive efforts to protect Saudi ports of entry, with the latest official statistics revealing that customs teams at land, sea, and air ports seized 961 smuggling attempts of various types in just one week. These successful operations are part of the Authority's strategy to strengthen customs control and enhance national security.
Details of the seizures: Variety in smuggling methods and customs vigilance
The released figures revealed that the thwarted smuggling attempts were diverse and dangerous, with 91 types of narcotics targeting the minds of young people and the security of society topping the list. This list included highly dangerous substances such as hashish, heroin, cocaine, the deadly methamphetamine, and Captagon pills, reflecting the scale of the challenges faced by customs officials and their high level of vigilance in combating them.
The seizures were not limited to drugs, but also included:
- (427) Cases of seizure of various prohibited materials.
- (1811) A seizure related to tobacco and its derivatives, in an attempt to evade the imposed fees and taxes.
- (10) Cases related to the seizure of cash amounts (disclosure or smuggling of funds).
- (5) Cases of seizing weapons and related equipment, which confirms the serious security dimension of these operations.
National context: The war on drugs and protecting the economy
These figures cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader context of Saudi Arabia's ongoing "war on drugs," waged by the state across all its security and military sectors. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority plays a pivotal role as the first line of defense in this war, employing the latest security technologies and X-ray scanning systems, in addition to K9 units, to detect contraband regardless of how it is concealed.
These successive seizures indicate the continued attempts by criminal networks to target the Kingdom, but the high level of coordination between “ZATCA”, the General Directorate of Drug Control and the rest of the security agencies formed an impenetrable barrier against these schemes.
Economic and security impact
Beyond the security dimension of preventing the entry of drugs and weapons, these seizures are crucial for protecting the national economy. Combating customs smuggling directly contributes to promoting fair competition in the market, preventing the entry of counterfeit or adulterated goods, and ensuring the collection of due duties, which ultimately benefits national development.
Call for community participation
The authority reiterated its call for all members of society to contribute to these national efforts, emphasizing that security is everyone's responsibility. ZATCA urged citizens and residents to report any suspicions related to smuggling crimes through official and secure channels, which guarantee complete confidentiality for informants
- The unified number for security reports: (1910).
- Email address : 1910@zatca.gov.sa
- International number: (009661910).
It is worth noting that the Authority provides financial incentives to informants if the information contained in the report is proven to be correct, in order to encourage joint work in protecting the homeland and its resources.
