Saudi Arabia is becoming the drug capital of the Middle East

Saudi Arabia is becoming the drug capital of the Middle East

London and Abu Dhabi (CNN) – A grisly drug-induced homicide captivated the media in Saudi Arabia this April, when a man in the country’s Eastern Province set his family house on fire before iftar, the meal that ends the Ramadan fast. Four members of his family were killed.

Police said he was under the influence of shabu, a methamphetamine, according to local papers.

Saudi media has been sounding the alarm lately over the rise in drug use, with one columnist describing shipments of narcotics to the kingdom as an “open war against us, more dangerous than any other war.”

On Wednesday, Saudi authorities announced the largest seizure of illicit drugs in the country’s history after nearly 47 million amphetamine pills were hidden in a flour shipment and seized at a warehouse in the capital Riyadh.

The record seizure demonstrates what experts say is Saudi Arabia’s growing role as the drug capital of the Middle East, driving demand and becoming the primary destination for smugglers from Syria and Lebanon.

The kingdom, they say, is one of the largest and most lucrative regional destinations for drugs, and that status is only intensifying.

Wednesday’s operation was the biggest single smuggling attempt in terms of narcotics seized, according to the