Saudi Arabia Seizes Half a Ton of Cocaine

Customs officers have seized half a ton of cocaine in Jeddah, on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, where drug trafficking is punishable by death, the interior ministry said Sunday.

The 526 kilos (1,160 pounds) of "pure cocaine" was found stashed in a container of paper, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

State television aired footage of the port's customs officers slashing packets of paper to remove the drugs.

The interior ministry said the drugs came from a South American country, without specifying which one.

The threat of capital punishment for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia appears to have done little to deter smugglers, as the ultra-conservative kingdom frequently announces that it has intercepted shipments.