MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has announced legal action against 19 individuals — five expatriates and 14 citizens — caught transporting 29 unauthorized people into the holy sites, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
The penalties for the 19 violators include fines of up to SR100,000 ($27,000), confiscation of vehicles and public naming.
For the 29 individuals attempting to perform Hajj without permits, the ministry imposed fines of up to SR20,000 each. Expatriate violators face immediate deportation and a 10-year ban from entering the Kingdom.
These arrests are part of a broader, month-long enforcement campaign that has seen various Saudi security branches, including the Makkah Region Police and the General Administration of Mujahideen, dismantle smuggling and fraud rings.
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