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Okaz reported that the Special Forces for Environmental Security apprehended five Pakistani expatriates for violating the environmental system through the exploitation of sediments in the Makkah region. Legal measures were applied against the group in line with standing regulations. Five pieces of equipment deployed for soil excavation and transport were seized in the course of the action.
The forces stated that they sustain monitoring to detect and address any practices deemed an assault on the environment or wildlife. They called for the public to report suspected violations through official channels. The designated number is 911 for the Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and Eastern Province regions while 999 and 996 serve the remainder of the Kingdom.
All submitted reports receive complete confidentiality and impose no liability on the informant, according to the forces. This operation occurred on September 10, 2026, as part of routine enforcement activity. The forces have issued identical calls for information in previous environmental cases.
A comparable incident took place on January 19, 2026, when the Special Forces for Environmental Security detained seven residents of Pakistani and Yemeni nationalities in Makkah for identical violations. Three pieces of equipment were seized in that case, Okaz reported at the time. The January enforcement followed the same legal pathway now applied to the five Pakistani nationals.
In a separate action on October 3, 2025, five residents from Pakistani, Indian, Somali and Yemeni backgrounds were arrested in the Riyadh region for sediment exploitation. Eight pieces of equipment were confiscated during that operation, according to local news accounts. The forces again urged use of the designated reporting numbers following the Riyadh arrests.
Illegal sand and sediment mining has emerged as a global concern. Scientific American reported in February 2024 that organized crime networks plunder rivers and coasts to supply worldwide demand for the material. The investigation found that buyers rarely verify provenance because legal and illicit sand appear identical, enabling the trade to persist with limited scrutiny.
