Saudi officials have seized a huge haul of Captagon, the synthetic drug made in covert laboratories, hidden inside a shipment of baklava, the Saudi Customs Authority said.
The seizure at Jeddah port on Sunday is the latest interception in a campaign by security forces in the kingdom to stamp out smuggling of the drug, which Arab officials say originates in Syrian areas under the control of President Bashar Al Assad.
The Saudi Customs Authority did not reveal from where the baklava arrived, nor the nationality of two men it said were the intended recipients. They were both arrested.
“The pills were found under the baklava layers,” the authority said.
In the past five years, Captagon has come to be regarded as national security threat to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the main conduit for the drug into inner Arabia. Jordan has been also a growing market for Captagon, several Arab officials who are tracking the flows say.
The issue has been a key point of diplomatic talks amid a regional drive to re-establish Arab ties with Mr Al Assad, who was ostracised by most Middle Eastern countries as his security forces violently suppressed the 2011 revolt against his rule. By the end of that year, Syria was in civil war, after the revolt became militarised.
In May, the Syrian President was invited to an Arab League summit in Riyadh, partly in the hope of securing his co-operation in reducing Captagon flows. An Arab committee was formed to follow up on the normalisation and last month Syrian and Arab security officials held a meeting in Amman to discuss counter-narcotics.
Drug-smuggling drone
In Amman, a military official said a drone carrying a crystal meth shipment was intercepted on Sunday as it crossed into Jordanian territory from Syria.
He said Jordanian border forces "followed, controlled and brought down" the small aircraft.
Last week, Jordan's police said a security committee destroyed 12.5 million Captagon pills seized in hundreds of drugs cases in the kingdom.
The announcements indicate that Captagon remains an unresolved issue, despite the drive with Mr Assad. The border areas between Jordan and Syria, and Jordan and Saudi Arabia, are mainly inhabited by tribes that have traditionally underpinned the security forces in Jordan. They have played a main role in the founding of Jordan as a British protectorate in 1921.
The volume of Captagon flowing into Jordan, and then to Saudi Arabia, rose sharply after a deal between Russia, Mr Assad's main backer, and Israel and the US.
Under the deal, the Syrian military and militias supported by Iran recaptured most of southern Syria from rebels who were fighting the regime in Damascus, with support from western and Arab countries.
Mr Al Assad said in an interview with Sky News Arabia, which was broadcast last Wednesday, that countries he did not name had "contributed to creating chaos in Syria", including Captagon trafficking.
The same day, an article in the official Syrian Baath party newspaper said Syria attended the Arab summit based on “a spirit and promises that were different to what we are hearing today”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
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Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
'Midnights'
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Kanye%20West
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The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
