‘Huge disaster’: Lebanese farmers decry Saudi Arabia produce ban

Saudi Arabia’s agricultural product ban comes after finding millions of illegal pills hidden in pomegranates.

Beirut, Lebanon – Already grappling with an economic crisis crippling the country, Lebanese farmers fear a recent produce ban by Saudi Arabia will be a decisive blow to their livelihoods. Saudi Arabia announced on Friday an indefinite ban on Lebanese agricultural products after foiling an attempt to smuggle 5.3 million pills of the illegal amphetamine Captagon hidden in a shipment of pomegranates at Jeddah Port. Captagon is manufactured in Lebanon, Jordan and possibly in Syria and Iraq, primarily for consumption in Saudi Arabia, according to (PDF) the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.