The Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (ZATCA) released its statistics on failed attempts to smuggle narcotic pills and illegal drugs into the Kingdom for the beginning of January 2022, ending in May 2022. Narcotic pills amount to more than 18 million pills, and the other types of illegal drugs amounted to more than 5,000 Kg, through 465 smuggling attempts. The smugglers attempted to usher in the prohibited material in different ways and in various consignment through all customs ports.

ZATCA stated that Captagon pills made up the largest percentage of narcotic pill seizures, whilst the drug seizures included hashish, heroin, cocaine, shabu, etc.

ZATCA added that the cooperative operations and continuous coordination with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) and General Directorate of Border Guard (GDBG), contributed to detecting and thwarting these attempts as well as arresting the recipients of the consignment in the Kingdom.

ZATCA confirmed that its efforts would continue across all its land, sea, and air to tighten customs control over the Kingdom's imports and exports; it further lies in wait for the smugglers, to realize a pillar, foremost, of its strategy, namely the security and protection of the society by thwarting attempts for smuggling these harmful substances and other contraband.

The number of such seizures show the high efficiency of the customs teams in 41 customs ports, all of them utilized modern security technologies and K-9 units (police dogs) among others, which contributed to reducing the risk of bringing such illicit material into the Kingdom.​

ZATCA's security system contributed to customs control on the Saudi imports and exports, while the land, sea, and airports continue their efforts to secure and protect the society by detecting the tricks used by smuggling lords attempts to let their drugs into the Kingdom. Customs ports are deemed as an impenetrable wall against such attempts