How borders are drawn and enforced has far-reaching consequences, whether we live on either side of them or halfway across the world.

This article is more than 2 years old.

November 13, 2015 This article is more than 2 years old.

Saudi Customs

Customs officials in Saudi Arabia seized 48,000 cans of Heineken beer yesterday (Nov. 12), after a smuggler tried sneak the contraband into the country, where alcohol is forbidden, disguised as Pepsi sodas.

Officials at the al-Batha border with the United Arab Emirates tweeted photos and videos of the cans:

The general manager of the al-Batha border told the Saudi press that “it became clear that the alcohol beers were covered in Pepsi’s sticker logos,” when the smuggler’s truck was stopped and searched.

Alcohol is forbidden under Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islam, and a 74-year-old British man was sentenced to be flogged earlier this year for making homemade wine. But according to US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks in 2010, some of the country’s princes not so strict when it comes to their own behavior: US consular officials described a Halloween party thrown by a member of the royal family that featured drinks made with “sadiqi, a locally-made moonshine.”