Drug Traffickers Seized With 2 Million Pills In Fake Tomatoes

This is the moment Saudi customs officials find a cache of more than two million illegal amphetamine tables hidden inside fake tomatoes.

The pills - with a street value of USD 50 million - had been cleverly concealed within a shipment of fruit and veg being driven over the border from Jordan.

Inspectors found thousands of lifelike plastic tomatoes which unscrewed to reveal a secret compartment inside stashed among real-life toms and pomegranates.

Official video footage of the bust shows Saudi authorities seizing a lorry at the Al Haditha land port on Friday, 24th February.

After removing the cargo, sniffer dogs are seen identifying the suspicious containers before they are opened by inspectors.

The pills were identified as highly addictive amphetamine fenethylline, also known by the brand name Captagon.

ISIS fighters became hooked on the pills as they are said to boost energy and aggression.

They are the main centre of production is now in Syria, one of the last Islamic State strongholds.

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority of Saudi Arabia said in a statement on Friday, 3rd March: "An attempt to smuggle more than two million Captagon pills, which was found hidden in a consignment of 'tomatoes and pomegranates' that came to the Kingdom through the Haditha port, was thwarted."

They said that in total, they had seized 2,015,116 pills.

The Saudi authorities added: "The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority confirmed that it is continuing to tighten customs control over the Kingdom’s imports and exports, and stands guard against attempts by smugglers, in order to achieve the security of society and protect it from these pests, in cooperation and continuous coordination with the General Directorate for Drug Control."

The shipment, according to local media, was worth up to USD 50 million (GBP 41.6 million).

Officials said one person had been arrested and the General Directorate of Narcotics Control is currently looking for other offenders inside the Kingdom.

The seizure comes after the authorities in Abu Dhabi arrested a man after he attempted to smuggle 4.5 million Captagon tablets hidden inside food bins.

The suspect, whose identity was not disclosed by the police, was busted after authorities received a tip-off.

He had already completed the import paperwork when officers found the drugs inside tins labelled as green beans.

After his arrest, the Head of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate of the Criminal Security Sector of Abu Dhabi Police, General Tahir Gharib Al-Dahiri, revealed that the operation was successful.

He added that the arrest followed a secret surveillance operation which led to police raiding a warehouse in an undisclosed location.

Abu Dhabi Police said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: "He [Al-Dahiri] added that the professionalism of the control elements resulted in the failure of the accused's scheme and confiscation of approximately 4.5 million Captagon pills and the tools used in preparing and packaging of narcotics for trade and promotion."

Police did not disclose the value of the drug, but it was estimated at between USD 60 million (GBP 50 million) and USD 100 million (GBP 84 million) based on data from the International Addiction Review journal.

The drug has been reported to be a central nervous system (CNS) stimulator with stronger and longer-lasting effects on fighting aggression, detachment, cognitive enhancement, and alertness.

It has increasingly become the drug of choice among youth in Gulf Arab states after it gained fame when it was used and traded by Islamic State fighters in the mid-2010s.