Saudi Arabia's War on Drugs and Foreign Influence

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rab Gulf countries implement strict drug-control legislation, enforcing it through judicial proceedings and border checks. They cooperate with international organizations and neighboring nations to boost intelligence exchange and prevention operations; however, these efforts require further improvement.

Academic studies show that drug abuse and addiction have become a significant issue in the Gulf region. Increased drug use, including hashish, amphetamines, and prescription drugs, creates significant challenges for society, public health, and safety. The GCC enables regional cooperation against drug trafficking through information sharing, synchronized operations, and training programs among member governments.

The strong cultural and religious traditions of Saudi Arabia discourage drug abuse. The Saudi government prioritizes counternarcotics and trafficking operations. The Saudi government has applied imprisonment, fines, and the death sentence for drug smuggling since 1988.

In March 2023, the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia announced the arrest of numerous individuals who were caught promoting and selling narcotics across cities in the Kingdom. Attempts to transport 483.3 kg of hashish and 35 tons and 176 kg of the narcotic plant khat were stopped. Twelve million illegal amphetamine tablets were discovered in a shipment of pomegranates, demonstrating a dedication to stopping drug trafficking and safeguarding the public. The Anti-Narcotic Agency also launched a “report them” campaign for drug users and distributors in the Kingdom.

On the other hand, the World Bank announced that Saudi Arabia’s drug campaign had cost the nation an estimated $10 billion annually. This covers the price of security, law enforcement, and medical treatment. Riyadh has been devoting more economic resources to the fight against drug trafficking.

Why do smugglers target Saudi Arabia?

Drug trafficking in the GCC is facilitated by several factors. Tribal and ethnic ties across borders assist traffickers in establishing channels of distribution in the region. The Gulf region’s closeness to countries that produce illicit drugs, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as expatriates engaged in criminal activity, have also contributed to increased drug smuggling in the Kingdom. At the same time, Gulf citizens associated with organizations classified as terrorist by important state actors such as Hezbollah, DAESH, and Al-Qaeda play an active role in these networks.

Saudi Arabia is a target for drug traffickers for various reasons, including high societal demand, a wealthy market for producers, the country’s geographical location, restricted domestic production, black market demand, and the regional instability of its south and north borders. On the other hand, its regional rivals may be using drug smugglers and distributors as a weapon to destabilize the Kingdom.

Omar Munassar, a Middle East expert, told Politics Today, “The drug cartels’ focus on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations can be explained by two primary factors. Firstly, there is a significant economic motive due to the region’s wealth and the high demand for drugs among the youth population. Secondly, certain political groups, such as Hezbollah, which have conflicts with Riyadh and the broader region, exploit drug trafficking as a means to wage a cultural war while receiving financial support to strengthen their own economies.”

The UAE as a transit point in the Gulf

Due to its well-developed welfare and infrastructure, international maritime connections, financial center status, and transshipment visitors, the UAE is an important drug transit destination. Abdul Jaleel Mahdi, director of the Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics branch, said, “We are a transit country. Our surroundings, airport, port amenities, and proximity to manufacturing and transiting countries all have an impact.” However, the government is aggressively striving to prevent drug trafficking with harsh measures.

Ali Bakir, who teaches at Qatar University, told Politics Today that “the fact that it [UAE] is at the center of the regional trade through neighboring UAE ports means that the country is accessible from sea, land, and air.” “The authorities there have been gearing up to counter drug smuggling for years. Yet, it is always cheaper for the drug dealers to fight this war as long as some of their production reaches its destination,” he added.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have geographic proximity, tribal ties, and well-designed transportation channels which provide advantages for drug smugglers. According to the Saudi government, 83.2 kg of cocaine were confiscated from a car at the Saudi Arabia-UAE land border crossing at Al-Batha in May 2023. To combat the UAE serving as a hub for drug trafficking, Saudi Arabia has improved surveillance and boosted border security, and is working with its neighbors to snare drug shipments and take down smuggling networks.

Weaponizing drugs

The Assad regime in Syria and Iran’s proxy Hezbollah have been responsible for sending illicit drugs, especially Captagon, to Saudi Arabia. Captagon tablets are simple to manufacture, widely accessible, and inexpensive to purchase. The smuggling of Captagon, mostly produced in Syria, has exploded in the last decade. This addictive drug has invaded the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia.

Habib al-Badawi, a professor at the Lebanese University, told Politics Today: “Geographical location near the Levant and Sarawat Mountains plays a vital role, as Saudi Arabia shares borders with other countries known for drug production or trafficking, such as Yemen and Iraq, while drug farms and factories are in a safe haven on the Lebanon-Syria borders.”

After finding more than five million Captagon tablets hidden in a cargo of pomegranates destined for Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom halted the importation of fruit and vegetables from Lebanon on April 25, 2021. According to Karam Shaar’s a political economist and non-resident senior fellow at Newlines Institute, report on Captagon, 370 million pills were intercepted in 2022 in Saudi Arabia. He stated, “The Assad regime realized that this is something they can weaponize for political gain … and that’s when production started being on a large scale.” Captagon has had a devastating impact on many Saudi citizens and expats, especially on youths, while Syrian politicians and Hezbollah authorities deny the accusations.

Arab News has disclosed interviews and investigations suggesting that “facing global sanctions that have left it desperate for revenue, the Syrian regime has gone into the drug-manufacturing business, working with Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Lebanon to smuggle industrial quantities of Captagon into Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states, by land, sea, and air.”

Reuters has claimed that Saudi Arabia has compensated the Syrian regime with $4 billion to stop Damascus from smuggling drugs into the Gulf. This claim has been related to Syria resuming membership to the Arab League in May 2023. The readmittance was on the condition that Syria stops narcotics from being smuggled across its borders and allows Syrian refugees to return.

Drug smuggling in Saudi Arabia is influenced by various factors like high demand, geographic location, proximity to producers, regional instabilities, and the involvement of entities like Syria and Hezbollah in narcotics exports. The Kingdom seems to be determined to combat drugs, as security forces have been engaging in counter-campgins to capture drug dealers in recent months.