Man sentenced to death for smuggling drugs in Saudi Arabia

A Saudi national has been sentenced to death for smuggling banned amphetamine tablets near the country’s northern border with Jordan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday citing the Ministry of Interior.

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Mohammed bin Saud al-Ruwaili was found guilty of smuggling the illicit substance and sentenced on Saturday.

The sentence was classified as ta’zir under Islamic law, meaning that it was decided by a judge, as opposed to a hadd or qisas offense that has a specific punishment outlined in holy texts, and it was upheld by the Kingdom’s Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Separately, a number of Pakistani residents and a Saudi citizen were arrested after they were found in possession of 3.7 kilograms of methamphetamine in Jeddah, SPA reported on Sunday.

The alleged offenders have been arrested and their cases referred to the public prosecutor.

Levantine countries including Jordan and Iraq have become hotspots for the illicit drug trade in recent years.

Drugs produced in war-torn Syria are often smuggled through neighboring countries with the intention of reaching wealthy buyers in the Gulf.

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