Saudi Arabia has stopped a drug trafficking network's attempts to smuggle tonnes of cocaine into Malaysia, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said on Friday.
Security officials “contributed, through information it provided to Malaysian Customs to thwarting an attempt to smuggle 25kg of cocaine hidden in a shipment of medical devices”, SPA said.
The drug bust is part of the Ministry of Interior’s efforts to “monitor, confront and thwart” smuggling and trafficking activities that threaten the security of the kingdom and its young people, the agency added.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts in recent years to intercept drugs at their source and enhance intelligence sharing with partners in a bid to break smuggling networks.
This week, more than $972 million of drugs were seized from two dhows in the Arabian Sea, the US military said. It was described as the largest bust recorded in the region.
The two vessels were boarded in operations by the Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook, working in support of the Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150 operated by the Combined Maritime Forces, the US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $822 million were confiscated from the first dhow on October 18, Centcom said.
Earlier this year, dozens of state employees were arrested in Saudi Arabia after three criminal networks involved in drug trafficking were smashed, SPA reported.
An official at the Interior Ministry said 19 people were arrested in drugs busts in the Asir, Jazan and Eastern provinces.
The groups were involved in smuggling drugs to other regions in Saudi Arabia and laundering the proceeds, it said.
Gulf states have stepped up efforts to combat the smuggling of narcotics through the region. Located at the crossroads of major drug trafficking routes linking Asia, Africa and Europe, countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman have invested heavily in border security, advanced surveillance technology and co-ordinated intelligence operations.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
