Attempts to smuggle out liquor and pork foiled

Manama : Saudi authorities have foiled more than 100 attempts to smuggle out liquor and pork products from Bahrain to Saudi in the past nine days. According to a statement issued yesterday by Saudi Customs, a total of 102 vehicles were detected attempting to smuggle out prohibited items to Saudi through King Fahad Causeway.

The items included liquor, beer, pork products, banned animal drugs and live birds.

The Saudi authorities said the attempts were foiled during the Spring break, between Match 30 and April 8.

Quoting King Fahad Causeway Saudi Customs General Director Sulaiman Al Bulaiheed, Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday a total of 363 bottles of liquor and several cans of beer were confiscated, in addition to more than 960Kg of banned animal drugs and 20Kg of swine meat, which is also banned in the neighbouring Kingdom.

Al Bulaiheed said that Saudi Customs on the causeway facilitated the travelling procedures of more than 950,000 travellers who exited and entered Saudi Arabia through the causeway during the spring holidays. As reported in DT News earlier, smuggling attempts from Bahrain to Saudi through the causeway are frequently foiled by the Saudi authorities.

The most common smuggled items are alcohol beverages, drugs, weapons and sometimes humans. Vehicles crossing the causeway are only checked on one side to save travellers’ time, as announced by the customs of both kingdoms. Cars coming from Saudi are only inspected on the Bahraini side of the causeway and vice versa.