Several liquor smuggling attempts from Bahrain foiled

Security authorities on the Saudi side of King Fahad Causeway have recently announced that it had foiled several smuggling attempts from and to Bahrain.

 The attempts included smuggling liquor bottles and human trafficking cases, in addition to a number of impersonation incidents.

 The Saudi side of King Fahad Causeway Customs Director General Dhaifallah Al Otaibi told Saudi media that “several liquor smuggling attempts were foiled this year, resulting in the confiscation of around 430 bottles and 83 litres of liquor hidden in vehicles’ fuel tanks.”

 Al Otaibi revealed that a passenger was caught with 14 liquor bottles hidden under his clothes. The General Director explained that the passenger duct-taped the bottles to different parts of his body and covered it with his traditional attire (thobe).

 He said the smuggler was caught when a customs officer suspected him and discovered the bottles hidden in his underwear and the back of his legs. “Legal procedures have been taken against the smuggler,” Al Otaibi affirmed.

 In a connected statement, Al Otaibi announced that 415 bottles and 83 litres of liquor were confiscated in two separate smuggling attempts last week.

 “The bottles were found in one car and were hidden professionally in different parts of the vehicle. As for the 83 litres, they were found inside the spare fuel tank of another vehicle,” Al Otaibi unveiled.

 He commended on the vigilance of customs personnel and their efforts to prevent the smuggling of contraband into Saudi Arabia.

 In another development, the Eastern Province Passports Official Spokesperson Colonel Moalla Al Otaibi told Saudi daily Al Riyadh that 122 impersonation cases were recorded at King Fahad Causeway in 2015.

 The colonel said, “Most of the impersonation cases were of Saudi citizens who were mostly military personnel who require permits to travel or underage who are not allowed to travel unaccompanied by adults.