Saudi Arabia seizes 12.7 million Captagon pills in pomegranate bust

DUBAI — Saudi Arabian authorities seized more than 12.7 million tablets of amphetamines hidden in a shipment of pomegranates at the Jeddah Islamic port, the kingdom announced on Tuesday.  

Four people were arrested, according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency, including two Egyptians, one Syrian and one Yemeni national. They have been arrested and charged and await prosecution. 

Why it matters: Captagon is a synthetic stimulant illegally sold across the Arabian Peninsula. 

There is a multi-billion-dollar black market for Captagon, which in recent years has been regionally manufactured along the Syrian-Lebanon border, according to the Washington-based Arab Center. The highly addictive substance travels through Jordan to reach Gulf states, where it has been a drug of choice among disenfranchised youth, particularly in Saudi Arabia.