DUBAI — Saudi Arabian authorities seized more than 12.7 million tablets of amphetamines hidden in a shipment of pomegranates at the Jeddah Islamic port, the kingdom announced on Tuesday.
Four people were arrested, according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency, including two Egyptians, one Syrian and one Yemeni national. They have been arrested and charged and await prosecution.
Why it matters: Captagon is a synthetic stimulant illegally sold across the Arabian Peninsula.
There is a multi-billion-dollar black market for Captagon, which in recent years has been regionally manufactured along the Syrian-Lebanon border, according to the Washington-based Arab Center. The highly addictive substance travels through Jordan to reach Gulf states, where it has been a drug of choice among disenfranchised youth, particularly in Saudi Arabia.
