Saudi Arabia has banned the import of fruit and vegetables from Lebanon after a drugs haul was found in a consignment of pomegranates.
Authorities seized more than 5.3 million Captagon pills – adding to the 600 million pills and hundreds of kilograms of the drug uncovered in similar circumstances in the past six years.
According to Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari: “The quantities that were thwarted are enough to drown the entire Arab world, not just Saudi Arabia, in narcotics and psychotropic sub-stances.”
Fruit and vegetable exports from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia are worth up to $24 million (£17.3 million) per year.
The Lebanese farmers’ union has appealed to the Saudi authorities to reverse the decision, saying it isn’t fair to punish ordinary people for the actions of criminal gangs.
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