How Saudi Arabia prioritizes rehabilitation in its crackdown on meth, Captagon and other narcotics

 Footage emerged on social media later that evening showing Al-Qarhadi’s final moments as he was engulfed in flames, having escaped from the back of the burning vehicle, doused in gasoline, his hands bound.Al-Qarhadi was killed by his best friend, a crystal methamphetamine addict, who was handed the death penalty for his crime. The tragedy highlighted the nature of the problem facing law enforcement agencies and health professionals.

Crystl meth, a derivative of amphetamines. (SPA photo)

Popular as an underground party drug in the 1980s and 1990s, the drug soon spread across the globe, quickly becoming one of the most dangerous and highly addictive narcotic substances in the world.In Saudi Arabia, the street name for crystal meth is shabu. It is also variously known as ice, LA glass, stove top, quartz, crank, hiropon, and poor man’s cocaine, owing to its relatively low production cost.

For drug traffickers, Saudi Arabia is a target market for amphetamines, particularly Captagon. Between 2019 and 2020, the Kingdom seized some 30 tons of illicit drugs, 99 percent of which were Captagon The ease with which it can be produced, at relatively low cost, high profit, and without detection by law enforcement, was memorably depicted in the hit US television series “Breaking Bad.” 

However, authorities and health professionals are increasingly concerned by the growing number of people becoming hooked on crystal meth, a derivative of amphetamines, which has reached epidemic proportions in many countriesIn Saudi Arabia, a country that imposes strict laws against the import, manufacture, possession, and use of illicit drugs, punishments for dealers and users include prison sentences, hefty fines, and deportation.