The Syndicate of Fruit and Vegetable Exporters and Importers in Lebanon said that the pomegranate shipment that was seized in Saudi Arabia contains drug pills that are not Lebanese, but crossed from Syria to the Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia decided yesterday to prevent the entry of Lebanese vegetables and fruits or their transit from its lands, starting from tomorrow, Sunday, because of their exploitation in smuggling Drugs.

The local Voice of All Lebanon Radio quoted the head of the Syndicate of Exporters and Importers of Fruits and Vegetables, Naim Khalil, that there is no season for pomegranate fruits in Lebanon now, stressing that the seized shipment in Saudi Arabia "is not Lebanese. Rather, it went through transit from Syria through Lebanon to Saudi Arabia."

Khalil appealed to the Lebanese authorities to move with their Saudi counterpart to restore the import and export movement between the two countries before the summer season.

Reuters quoted a senior official in the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture - whose name was not revealed - that there is no document proving that the shipment of pomegranates, which was seized by the Saudi authorities in the port of Jeddah and containing the drug pills, is of Lebanese origin.

Yesterday, the Saudi News Agency quoted the Undersecretary of the General Authority for Security Affairs, Muhammad bin Ali Al-Naim, as saying that Saudi customs at the Jeddah Islamic Port managed to "foil an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of Captagon pills, amounting to more than 5.3 million pills, hidden in the consignment of pomegranate fruit that came from Lebanon." ".

# The Saudi Ministry of Interior, the concerned authorities in the Kingdom have noticed that they are increasingly being targeted by drug traffickers that originate in the Lebanese Republic or that pass through Lebanese territory, and Lebanese products are used for smuggling, and the most prominent of those consignments that are used to smuggle vegetables and fruits.

- Waleed A. Bukhari (@bukhariwaleeed) April 23, 2021

big quantities

On the other hand, the official spokesman for combating drugs in Saudi Arabia, Captain Muhammad Al-Najidi, said yesterday that the percentage of seizures of amphetamine-narcotic tablets imported from Lebanon amounted to more than 75% of the total seizures in the country.

Al-Najidi added that the Kingdom was targeted by attempts to smuggle more than 60 million amphetamine narcotic tablets, which were hidden in those shipments and goods coming from Lebanon.

The Saudi official described the volume of smuggled drugs very large, and that it "reveals the extent of the deliberate targeting of the Kingdom's security, and goes beyond the concept of individual cases, as it is an organized crime targeting Saudi national security."

The advisor at the Security Affairs Agency of Saudi Customs, Abdul-Malik Al-Ubaid, said in an interview with Al-Jazeera that the amount of drugs seized by the Saudi authorities coming from Lebanon confirms that the kingdom was targeted by introducing drugs to it.

Al-Obaid added that Saudi Arabia will set a date for the end of the halt to importing vegetables and fruits if the Lebanese government provides guarantees in this regard.

Abbas Mortada, the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture in the caretaker government, told Reuters that the Saudi ban is a big loss, and that the value of these Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia is $ 24 million annually.

Minister Mortada added that "the matter is very dangerous, especially if it reflects negatively on the rest of the Gulf states that may take similar or severe measures."

According to customs data, Saudi Arabia occupies the highest percentage of exports to Arab countries, with 13%


imported from Lebanon in 2020, with a value of 82.549 million dollars.


Originally, we were good for me after they considered us Arabs, so we were terrified by a lack of loyalty and morals by dealing with Arab countries as the sands of God blessings # the war on drugs

- Mahassen Moursel (@MMoursel) April 23, 2021

Fight against smuggling

On Friday, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it was informed through the Saudi embassy of the ban, and added in a statement, "Minister Charbel and the gift of the matter conveyed to senior officials." And the Lebanese economy. "

A Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the export of Lebanese vegetables and fruits to the Gulf countries, especially the Kingdom, is one of the few doors still open to bringing dollars to the country, and that closing this door "increases the pressure on Lebanon."

In a previous interview with Al-Jazeera, the Lebanese economist Jassem Ajaga called for the need for clear mechanisms to control customs to restore the confidence of the countries through which Lebanese export shipments crossed.

Ajaka added that whether drug smuggling from Lebanon is a result of negligence or collusion, what is required is that the customs authorities do their part to fight this phenomenon that is damaging the country's reputation.

The drug industry in Lebanon and neighboring Syria is active in Captagon, which is classified by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as "a type of stimulating amphetamines," which is a mixture of amphetamines, caffeine and other substances. 2011.

The Lebanese security services have repeatedly succeeded in thwarting massive smuggling operations towards the Gulf markets, especially Saudi Arabia.

On February 3, customs seized 5 million Captagon pills in the port of Beirut, which were supposed to be sent to Greece and then Saudi Arabia.

It is noteworthy that Lebanon is experiencing a stifling economic and financial crisis, as the currency has lost 90% of its value and the dollar has become scarce in the country, and the poverty rate has risen to more than 50% of the population, in addition to the suspension of Gulf aid that was provided to Beirut.