Saudi border guards have foiled an attempt to smuggle 229kg of hashish off the port city of Jeddah, an official has said.

“The border guard naval patrols had intercepted a boat carrying the drug substances after it sailed beyond the territorial waters off Jeddah,” border guard spokesman Lt. Col. Mesfar bin Ghanam added.

Two smugglers and six would-be recipients of the shipment were arrested, he said. All the suspects are Yemeni nationals.

“The border guard personnel continue to confront with all firmness attempts by criminal gangs targeting the kingdom and its people with drugs,” he added, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.

Saudi authorities have recently foiled several attempts to smuggle drugs into the country. Last month, security forces in the regions of Riyadh and Jazan had thwarted three bids to smuggle large quantities of hashish, weighing 1,243kg, police said.

Drug smuggling is an offense punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

SOURCE : GULF NEWS