Saudi Prince Caught With Two Tons Of Drugs

A Saudi prince and four other people were arrested at Beirut's airport on Monday after they allegedly attempted to smuggle two tons worth of amphetamines onto the prince's private plane, a Lebanese official told the Associated Press.

The anonymous official did not offer additional details about the drug bust, but it was reportedly one of the largest in Lebanon's history. There are dozens of princes in the Saudi royal family, but the one arrested on Monday has not yet been identified.

Illegal amphetamines — also known as speed or uppers — have surged in popularity across the Middle East in recent years, especially in Saudi Arabia, where authorities have seized more amphetamines than in any other country, according to the United Nation's Office of Crime and Drugs. In 2011, nearly 40 percent of the amphetamines seized in the world came from Saudi Arabia.

Almost all of the amphetamines seized in Saudi Arabia are in the form of Captagon pills, the brand name form of fenethylline, a synthetic stimulant used to treat attention deficit disorders.

The amphetamines allegedly found on the Saudi prince's plane were said to be fenethylline.

Via Vice News