The ‘Captagon’ Kingdom

The famous story about the daughters of late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Hala, Maha, Sahar and Jawaher, who are still imprisoned in his royal castles is not a new one

Israa al-Fass

Al-Anoud Al-Fayez with her daughters

The famous story about the daughters of late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Hala, Maha, Sahar and Jawaher, who are still imprisoned in his royal castles is not a new one. Many stories were written about the issue, and many interviews were conducted with their mother, Princess al-Anoud al-Fayez who is based in London.



But the secret thing behind this story is its link with the Captagon scandals in the Saudi Kingdom.



The drugs scandals inside the Kingdom begin with the case of the political detainees, and influence the national citizens in the first place.



In April 2014, Al-Manar Website conducted an interview with the ex-wife of the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, yet the interview was not published at the time. The princess, of Jordanian roots, uncovered that her daughters are being mistreated because one of them discovered that the prisoners of conscience are injected with drugs, tortured and humiliated.



"Saudi prisoners of conscience were detained at the psychiatric ward, injected with drugs and were subject to torture and humiliation," according to what Hala Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al Saud witnessed, as she had been working as a trainee in some of the mental disease centers. The princess's objection on such way of dealing with the prisoners made here a victim of the same way. She was injected with drugs and imprisoned before her health status deteriorated, and she was then isolated from her sisters.



"Servants in the castle tended to add drugs for my daughters Maha and Hala. Some of them couldn't make it, so they were fired. Others gave up on the order. Jawaher and Sahar demanded that the servants stay outside their residential place, so that the tragedy won't be repeated," said al-Anoud al-Fayez.



This is how Al Saud dealt with their own children... it is not surprising anymore that their princes are the ones flooding the country with drugs that would crush the Saudi people.



In a "France 24" report published on August 2015, two videotapes were leaked from Jedda's Briman Prison on June 13. The French channel disclosed what is being practiced inside the Saudi prisons such as the prisoners injecting themselves with Heroine. It published what denies the Saudi official justifications that said the prisoners are being injected with Insulin.



According to late UN statistics, the rate drug addicts inside the kingdom hits 150 thousand persons. Saudi Arabia is also the first among Gulf countries in the number of addicts whose the ages of 70% of them range between 12 and 20 years.



Perhaps the dangerous issue is what had been shown recently in studies that 10% of the elementary level students (11 years old and less) are addicted to drugs, the percentage increases to 33% for intermediary level students (up to 15 years old), and 38% for secondary level students (up to 18 years old.)



Saudi Arabia is considered among the most countries addicted to Captagon. The 2013 UN report on drugs in the world shows that one third of the overall quantity of Captagon that was confiscated in the world was in Saudi Arabia. Thus, Captagon is the first on the list of drugs there. It was also described as "the excellent Saudi drug."



Yemen: Drug Smuggling Path, Sponsored by the Kingdom



On Monday, May 21st of 2012, the first drug confiscation operation was registered in the Yemeni Sa'ada province. Huge drug quantities were taken to Saudi Arabia. On that day, the Ansarullah Movement announced it spoiled the quantity after it frustrated the smuggling attempt. It was "a part of our responsibility in front of Allah since this dangerous issue is one of the damaging weapons the enemies of the nation are using in their war against our youth and children to destroy them, damage their values, and waste their abilities," according to the movement's statement on the time.



Back then, the destroying of drugs was headed by Mohammad Ali al-Houthi (current Head of High Revolutionary Committee in Yemen), and under the supervision of Martyr Abdul Karim al-Khiwani, with field coordination of Yemeni journalist Hamed al-Bakhiti among other media figures.



The smuggling operation through the Yemeni territories used to pass through the Mocha Port in the Province of Taaz, overlooking the Red Sea coasts. Drugs were transported via the port, with the knowledge and sponsorship of distinguished Yemeni figures, to be moved to Saada's cities of Ktaf and Damaj where they would be packed and covered. In Yemen, especially regarding what is related to drug smuggling operations, there are two names for those who are considered the men of the neighbor kingdom: Yemeni MP Othman Majli and the well-known drug dealer Mohammad al-Wayeli, according to Yemeni sources.



After the September 21st, 2014 revolution, Yemeni Security Forces and revolutionary committees succeeded in confiscating such operations. "Controlling this smuggling phenomenon had a great impact on the Saudi policy towards Yemen," according to the sources! This was confirmed by the Saudi Ministry of Interior on September 1st, 2015 when it announced that the rate of smuggling drugs from Yemen to Saudi Arabia decreased to 80%, relating this to the "positive results" of the aggression.



Syria, Lebanon and Jordan: Selling Captagon to Saudis Gained them lots of Money



In a BBC documentary entitled "Captagon: Drug of the Syrian War," its producer, Lebanese journalist Radwan Mortada narrates from "Abu Souss" (a nickname for an important political opposition person who funds Captagon factories in Syria) that "selling the Saudis Captagon made him make a lot of money."



After the Syrian crisis, some of the Syrians tended to trade Captagon and promote it in exchange of money and weapons. As a new phenomenon, many drug factories emerged in the middle and east of Syria. International reports say that manufacturing Captagon flourishes in southeastern countries in Europe: Slovenia, Serbia and Bulgaria, and they are smuggled via Turkey to Syria and Jordan until they reach Saudi Arabia.



Head of Central Drug Combating Office in the Judicial Police Department in Lebanon, General Ghassan Shamseddine asserts that the Captagon pills manufactured in Syria are smuggled to Lebanon to be exported later to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.



Until few days ago, it was still possible considering drugs spreading in Saudi Arabia a scandal which the regime is seeking to refute. However, what was uncovered on Monday October 26, 2015 about the involvement of one of the grandsons of Abdul Aziz Al Saud (Abdul Mohsen bin Walid bin Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud) completes a series of the regime scandals and its relationship with promoting drugs inside the kingdom.



Hence, smuggling drugs from Lebanon happens through the Al Saud Princes' private planes with a royal stamp. The boost of manufacturing drugs in Syria is due to the Saudi money flooding this business. In Yemen, the kingdom's men and businessmen sponsor the smuggling operations, which damage the Saudis whether kids, youth or detainees. Even the sons and daughters of the princes are not safe from drugs in case they didn't abide by the royal decisions inside the Al Saud castles.



