RIYADH: Saudi customs have arrested a man who was attempting to smuggle 12 bottles of alcohol in secret pockets he made in his trousers.
Fahad Al Otaibi, the head of the Saudi customs on King Fahad Causeway that links Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said that an officer had suspicions about a traveler, prompting him to search him.
He found the 12 bottles in 12 pockets that had been added to the pants, six in the front and six in the back.
The smuggler wore a loose fitting traditional white thobe that concealed the bottles, Saudi news site Sabq reported.
Comments mainly labeled the smuggler as “naïve” and “stupid” for his attempt, even though it was highly unusual.
They said he should have known that it would be difficult for him to walk straight and that experienced officers who asked male drivers and passengers to get off the vehicle would easily notice him.
Cars going from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia go through customs only at the Saudi side, while vehicles entering Bahrain are checked at the Bahraini side of the causeway.
The 25-kilometre King Fahad Causeway, opened in November 1986, is used by more than 30,000 people every day to travel or commute between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, making it one of the busiest traffic sectors in the Arab world.
Smuggling attempts via the causeway have included explosives, weapons, detonators, drugs, wild animals, and birds often stashed in wooden boxes.
