Lebanese national executed in Saudi for drug smuggling

A Lebanese national was executed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for smuggling drugs, the interior ministry announced.

Diab Ahmad Hamad was executed in the Tabuk region for smuggling prohibited amphetamine pills, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The ministry said that the accused was convicted by the court with the sentence endorsed by the appeal and supreme courts. A royal order was issued to execute the sentence.

It reiterated that the Saudi government is “keen on combating narcotics due to their great harm to individuals and the society”, and warned violators of punishment according to Sharia law.

The kingdom’s laws on drug smuggling are among the strictest in the world and it has carried out multiple executions of those convicted of the crime.

Last week, Pakistani national Abdul Latif Nour Mohammed in Jeddah heroin, while last month Nigerian national Abu Duraimi Oyida Ajibula was executed in Madinah for smuggling cocaine in his intestines.

Those executed in the country for drug smuggling last year include five Saudi nationals, four Pakistani nationals, three Yemenis, Two Egyptians, one Syrian national and a Palestinian national.