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The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority reported that land, sea and air customs ports across Saudi Arabia carried out 1,173 seizures of contraband during the past week. ZATCA figures listed 70 cases that involved narcotics including hashish, cocaine, heroin, crystal meth and Captagon pills. The authority’s count also captured 216 prohibited materials that officers intercepted at various entry points.
Customs personnel foiled 888 shipments of tobacco and its derivatives in the same period, according to ZATCA. The authority added that its teams stopped 13 attempts to smuggle counterfeit currency along with one shipment of weapons and related equipment. These actions took place as part of the body’s regular inspections that cover all modes of cross-border movement.
ZATCA released annual results in January that showed it had blocked 24 million illicit pills and 1,417 kilograms of additional narcotic substances in 1,884 cases throughout 2025. The authority attributed those outcomes to expanded use of detection technology and enhanced training for its inspection teams at every port. Many of the 2025 interceptions involved concealment inside commercial loads, vehicles or personal baggage, its data stated.
The weekly enforcement numbers continue a pattern visible in earlier ZATCA updates that have ranged from roughly 900 to more than 1,200 seizures per seven-day period. Such regularity underscores the scale of cargo and passenger traffic that passes through the Kingdom’s borders each year. Coordination between the authority and domestic security agencies has allowed follow-on arrests of intended recipients inside Saudi Arabia in numerous linked investigations.
ZATCA maintains dedicated channels for the public to supply information on possible smuggling activity. The authority accepts tips through its local security reporting line 1910, the email address [email protected] or the international telephone number 009661910. All submissions receive confidential handling, and verified reports that lead to successful enforcement can qualify the provider for a financial reward.
