Saudi executes two nationals for drug smuggling

Saudi Arabia on Monday announced the execution of two Saudi nationals for drug smuggling less than a week after executing three Yemenis for the same crime.

Ziad bin Atiyyah bin Sulaiman Al-Omrani and Sultan bin Sari’e bin Loifi Al-Omrani were executed in the Tabuk Region for smuggling “a large quantity of amphetamine pills” into the kingdom, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The executions followed a conviction by the General Court in death sentences later endorsed by the Appeal and Supreme Courts.

Following this a royal order was issued to execute the two men.

“The Ministry of Interior affirms that the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is keen on combating narcotics due to their great harm to individuals and the society, warning anyone who tries to commit such actions that he will be punished according to Sharia,” the ministry said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency.

The kingdom’s laws on drug smuggling are among the strictest in the world and it has carried out several executions of those found guilty of the crime so far this year.

On Tuesday last week the ministry announced the execution of three Yemeni nationals in Asir region for smuggling cannabis and a quantity of narcotic Qat into the kingdom.

Read: Saudi executes three Yemenis for smuggling drugs

In July it also executed another Saudi national for smuggling narcotics along with three Pakistani men and two Egyptians in separate cases in April.