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Saudi Customs Confront Drug Smugglers Looking to Exploit Hajj

Saudi Customs, Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Customs, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Customs Confront Drug Smugglers Looking to Exploit Hajj

Saudi Customs, Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Customs, Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s customs servicemen, counting up to 1,200 member, have successfully foiled gang attempts of trafficking drugs during the Hajj season this year.

With over 1.4 million pilgrims arriving to the kingdom this time of the year, drug traffickers seek the opportune moment to exploit the massive influx of visitors.

Saudi customs, especially at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Medina’s Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport, dedicated to receiving pilgrims, are the first line of defense against crimes.

Customs servicemen have long proved to be guardians of national security. During Hajj, customs also facilitate and ensure that the pilgrims' trip remains safe.

According to Issa al-Issa, an official spokesman for Saudi customs, the Hajj season is exploited by many drugs smugglers.

Al-Issa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the customs personnel rely on inspections of modern technologies such as, live surveillance, sniffer dogs, as well as scanning through suspect bodies with radio waves.

Al-Issa said that Saudi customs deployed over 1,200 individuals to implement a pro-active plan and monitor main ports for the arrival of pilgrims nationwide.

Authorities assigned 317 servicemen to Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah.

On another hand, a total of 895 customs members were deployed to King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah is about.

As for difficulties faced by customs officials during the Hajj season, Al-Issa said that Hajj season is quite challenging, but accumulated customs experience accounts for what is needed to meet these challenges.

Saudi Customs work to protect the country and society from health hazards and security threats by preventing the entry of contraband, all kinds of drugs, weapons and explosives.

It also works on contributing to the achievement of Kingdom Vision 2030.

Based on economic grounds, customs are tasked with prohibiting the entry of counterfeit goods and items violating intellectual property rights, or in violation of standard specifications, to ensure consumer protection.

Customs also facilitate export procedures that contribute to opening up international markets to local products.

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'Action, Not Words': Saudi Arabia's Role in Two-State Solution Conference Draws Praise 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, co-chairs of a United Nations high-level international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, shake hands after a press briefing at UN headquarters in New York City, US, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, co-chairs of a United Nations high-level international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, shake hands after a press briefing at UN headquarters in New York City, US, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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'Action, Not Words': Saudi Arabia's Role in Two-State Solution Conference Draws Praise 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, co-chairs of a United Nations high-level international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, shake hands after a press briefing at UN headquarters in New York City, US, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, co-chairs of a United Nations high-level international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, shake hands after a press briefing at UN headquarters in New York City, US, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)

The High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, drew global attention and wide social media engagement as it continued into its second day on Tuesday.

The event, launched Monday in New York with participation from 17 countries, highlighted Saudi Arabia's growing diplomatic role in championing Palestinian statehood, a move that resonated strongly with users on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Saudi and Gulf commentators praised Riyadh's leadership, describing its efforts as "action, not just words."

Many users welcomed the Kingdom's co-chairing of the event with France as a significant step toward advancing international consensus on Palestinian statehood.

The online discourse, dominated by Saudi and Gulf voices from across the political spectrum, pushed the conference hashtag to the top of X's trending list, with particular focus on Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, who co-led the conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Prince Faisal's bilingual posts on the first day of the event, in which he reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to ending the Israeli occupation and enabling Palestinians to exercise their legitimate rights, amassed over 1.2 million views within 24 hours.

In one of his posts, the minister said the objective was to end the occupation and allow the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights and establish their independent state, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.

A widely circulated video from a November interview with Asharq Al-Awsat featured Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa praising Prince Faisal for his "energy, persistence, and sincere commitment to the Palestinian cause."

Popular accounts across X reflected similar sentiment.

"Saudi Arabia is sending a clear message to the world: there can be no peace or security without a Palestinian state," wrote user Eshq bin Saeedan, calling the two-state solution "the only viable option, despite its challenges."

Kuwaiti commentator Abdulrahman Al-Nassar described Saudi efforts at the UN as "a noble political battle for Palestinian sovereignty." Others echoed this, citing the Kingdom's historical stance on Palestine dating back to the era of founder King Abdulaziz.

"Since King Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia has been the strongest and most consistent supporter of the Palestinian cause," wrote Kuwaiti academic Dr. Sultan Al-Asqa. "Today, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is rallying global support through the Two-State Solution Conference."

User Moataz Al-Mirah traced Riyadh's legacy from the 1981 Fez Summit, where then-Crown Prince Fahd presented a peace proposal, to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and the current conference.

"From Fez to the Arab Peace Initiative, and now to this global push, Saudi Arabia hasn't postured; it has laid the groundwork and built the consensus," Al-Mirah wrote. "Global recognition of Palestine has come because Saudi Arabia asked."

A user identifying as a diplomat called the conference "a practical embodiment of genuine support for the Palestinian people, a glimmer of hope in the darkness of the occupation and the ongoing tragedy in Gaza."

As the conference continues, participants are working through committees chaired jointly by Saudi and French officials to finalize two key documents. These are expected to reference the historical roots of the conflict, dating back to the end of the British Mandate and the UN's 1947 partition plan calling for the creation of both Jewish and Arab states.

The conference is also seen as a potential springboard for a broader international summit expected in September, either in Paris or New York, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Planned for two days, the meeting was extended into Wednesday because representatives of about 50 countries have not spoken.