Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, which has been ruled by King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud since 1982. However, since 1991 the King has instituted a series of political reforms, but virtually all important decisions are taken by the King. The national government consists of a Council of Ministers, headed by the King, who holds the post of the Prime Minister.

The economy relies heavily on oil revenues. Economic development prospects are therefore closely linked to oil prices and recent positive developments remain fragile. Only 1 % of the land is arable. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75 % of budget revenues, 35 % of the GDP and almost all export earnings. In the 1990s, the Government has tried to implement economic and fiscal reforms to bring its budget back into balance.

Overview of Drug Control Situation

Saudi Arabia is party to all three international drug control conventions. There is currently no significant drug production reported for the country.

There appears to be no significant transit trafficking through Saudi Arabia. However, there are considerable seizures of fenetylline (a stimulant known in the region under the brand name Captagon) in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey indicating a continuation of trafficking from production sites manly in Central and Eastern Europe into the country.

Under the Saudi Islamic Legal Code, drug trafficking is a capital crime and enforced on Saudis and non Saudis alike. There appears to be a decline in the executions in the past years. Nevertheless, this issue features regularly in reports of human rights organizations.

Data on drug abuse in Saudi Arabia is particularly scarce. It is generally assumed that the drug abuse situation in the country is not at an alarming level. However, the above mentioned trafficking of stimulants would seem to imply that these drugs are abused in Saudi Arabia at a significant scale. There is also abuse of cannabis. Reports also mention a rising abuse of heroin and cocaine, albeit at a low overall level.

Non Saudi addicts are jailed and deported. Saudis are usually sent to one of the three drug treatment hospitals in the country. Many observers note that cultural and social restrictions prevailing in the region may impede addicts from admitting to their drug abuse. There may thus also be a considerable amount of ‘hidden’ abuse in Saudi Arabia.

The lead agency in Saudi Arabia for anti drug efforts is the Ministry of the Interior. Saudi Arabia has five drug liaison offices in Nigeria, Lebanon, Thailand, UAE (Dubai) and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia also hosts the Na?f Academy for Security Studies, which has a rolling programme in the area of crime prevention and to a lesser extend drug control. Saudi Arabia has bilateral co-operation agreements with Jordan, Syria, and Turkey and is hosting a US customs advisory team. In addition, Saudi Arabia is member of the Gulf Co-operation Council, which provides a forum for consultations among its members on drug control matters.

UNDCP has an ongoing project providing for a symposium on the prospects of UN / Government of Saudi Arabia co-operation in the fight against narcotic drugs (SAU/C68, US$ 20,000). Future collaboration with Saudi Arabia, including fund-raising aspects, is envisaged to be discussed at this meeting, which was originally scheduled for November 1997 but was postponed. The Cairo Regional Office and UNDP in Saudi Arabia are working closely towards holding the symposium as soon as possible.

Saudi Arabia provides an annual contribution of US$ 50,000 but promised to increase this substantially if a programme of co-operation is developed by UNDCP as a result of the symposium. The Government has welcomed the opening of a UNDCP Regional Office in Cairo.