Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The customs authorities in Saudi Arabia said that they were able to stop many air passengers from smuggling cocaine and heroin they had hidden inside their guts.

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Saudi Arabia's Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca) said that they had detected more than two kilogrammes of cocaine stashed inside the guts of three travellers who had arrived at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

Another attempt of smuggling 878 grammes of heroin hidden in the gut of a fourth passenger was also foiled by the customs officers at the same airport.

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Zatca did not specify when they uncovered the attempts and also did not reveal the nationalities of the smugglers.

Hiding cocaine in gut not 'uncommon' in Saudi Arabia

This is not the first time that such bizarre attempts have been made by passengers to smuggle cocaine into Saudi Arabia. 

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Even earlier, three kilogrammes of cocaine was found hidden inside the guts of three passengers during a routine inspection.

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An X-ray scan of the passengers was carried out by the officials which led to the detection of cocaine in their intestines.

Saudi Arabia in recent months has increased its crackdown on narcotics smugglers and traffickers in what it calls the “war on drugs” and reported multiple thwarted attempts.

In Saudi Arabia, drug smuggling and trafficking are punishable offences with the death sentence being the maximum punishment. 

(With inputs from agencies)