ASF foils bid to smuggle heroin to Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel deployed at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad foiled a bid to smuggle heroin to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday.

According to sources, the passenger, identified as Kashif was intending to travel to Jeddah when ASF personnel conducting a routine search discovered 3 kilograms of heroin from his luggage. The passenger a resident of Charsadda was booked for travel on an international airline, sources added.

ASF sources confirmed that the passenger, along with his brother have been arrested.

In recent days the ASF has foiled multiple attempts to smuggle heroin out of the country, with the latest being the second attempt to smuggle heroin to Saudi Arabia and the second attempt to smuggle heroin via the Islamabad Airport.

On December 21st PIA’s security vigilance team in Karachi along with the ASF, ANF and Pakistan Customs officials discovered 17 kg of heroin hidden in concealed compartments during a pre-departure sweep of a Boeing 777 aircraft bound for Jeddah.

Days later on the 26th of December ASF personnel foiled an attempt to smuggle 1kg of heroin from a passenger booked for travel to Ras Al-Khaimah.