Manama, April 13 (BNA)– The Interior Ministry emphasised the high level of security cooperation and coordination between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. This came following a press conference held today afternoon by the Saudi Interior Ministry Spokesperson on foiling two smuggling attempts of more than 22 million Captagon (an amphetamine-type of drug) tablets worth over SR 1,038 billion.

The drug bust was the result of cooperative and professional work of the security bodies in which the Anti-narcotics Police Directorate played a major role in monitoring and thwarting the smuggling attempts and arresting many suspects, including a Bahraini national.

Within this context the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) said the two operations via King Fahad Causeway were the result of high cooperation and coordination between the Anti-narcotics Police Directorate, the Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security General Directorate, the Customs Affairs in Bahrain and the Saudi Anti-narcotics General Directorate and the GCC Criminal Information Centre to Combat Drugs (GCC-CICCD).

Action was prompted by reports, confirmed later, of an Arabian network monitoring the smuggling of Captagon tablets at an international level and exploiting Bahrain’s distinguished geographic location as a transit spot for the network’s trucks.

The network tasked one of its members to set up and import and export company in Bahrain to arrange for receiving the trucks and reloading them for neighbouring countries, the CID Director General revealed, pointing out that the secret meetings of the network were fully monitored by the security bodies.

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BNA 2101 GMT 2014/04/13