Inspectors from the Ministry of Commerce raided and shut down a goldsmith workshop inside a villa in Jeddah.
Forty-nine illegal expatriate workers of an Asian descent were arrested for using the villa as a workshop to make precious metals and stones and working in gold and jewelry without registering their business or obtaining a license.
The inspectors kept a close eye on the location and did investigations for three months before raiding it.
The seized material included seven kilograms of gold with an estimated market value of two million riyals. A sample of the confiscated material was sent to specialized labs for testing.
The Ministry summoned the owner of the villa, took down his statement, and turned over the illegal workers to the appropriate authorities, who will pursue legal action against them in accordance with the Anti-Concealment Law and the Precious Metals and Stones Law.
The Ministry urged the general public to only engage in legally-licensed business activities and advised citizens and expatriate workers to report violations via the Commercial Report app or by dialling1900.