Saudi authorities conducted a late-night ambush of trucks transporting illegal substances.
The supervisory teams of the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority carried out inspections of establishments suspected of violating the National Anti-Commercial Concealment Program (Tasattur) and consumer protection regulations.
Three violating workers were apprehended by authorities south of Riyadh in the late hours of the night while they were transporting illegal goods. The Ministry and the Customs Authority halted a truck carrying 58 thousand molasses tobacco packages of unknown origin.
During the search it was discovered that the drivers did not have any appropriate permits
and the cargo also contained 2000 counterfeit tax stamps. Authorities determined that the workers used the stamps to falsely authenticate the tobacco products and deceive customers. The total value of the products that were seized was estimated at more than 80,000 riyals.
The workers were also found to be guilty of commercial concealment, and were summoned by the Ministry to receive penalties in accordance with the Consumer Protection Regulations and the Anti-Commercial Concealment Law.
The National Anti-Commercial Concealment Program (Tasattur) stipulated imposing a prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of five million riyals in addition to seizing and confiscating illegal funds after final judicial rulings were issued against those involved.
In addition to the ancillary penalties prescribed by law, which include closing the establishment, liquidating its activities, removing it from the commercial register, prohibiting it from continuing business, collecting zakat, fees and taxes and expelling foreign unregistered workers from the Kingdom permanently.