Yemen fights drug smuggling with largest public destruction of narcotics
Authorities in Yemen have destroyed nearly 19 tonnes of illegal drugs in a public operation carried out by the Houthi-run government in Sana’a.
The drugs included large quantities of hashish, over 205,000 captagon pills, and more than 12 million pregabalin tablets.
Security forces and officials from the Houthi-controlled Interior Ministry supervised the incineration, which took place in an open area on July 1.
The burning of the drugs was timed to coincide with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The narcotics were seized during recent anti-smuggling operations across several provinces, according to officials.
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Video footage showed large stacks of drugs set on fire as armed guards stood watch and thick smoke rose into the sky.
The event was meant to highlight ongoing efforts to fight drug trafficking in a country struggling with conflict, political instability, and weak law enforcement.
A senior official at the site said, “This operation is a message to drug smugglers that Yemen is not a safe place for their crimes.”
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
