Drug Dealers Set Mercedes on Fire in Wild Saudi Capital Shootout

A squabble between drug gangs in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh escalated into a wild gun battle on Monday, with shots fired into a car dealership and a Mercedes four-wheel-drive vehicle catching fire.

Riyadh police arrested nine Saudis and a foreign national after video of the gunfight went viral:

#فيديو | ضبط 8 مواطنين ووافد لتورطهم في حادثة إطلاق نار بمعرض للسيارات في #الرياضhttps://t.co/DiV9TUTea7#تم_القبض pic.twitter.com/ETnlD4VW5r

— صحيفة المناطق السعودية (@AlMnatiq) November 7, 2022

The Saudi Interior Ministry clarified that gunshots were exchanged following a “dispute between drug dealers.” Riyadh police are reportedly investigating the conflict further, and expect to make more arrests soon.

Al Arabiya cited eyewitnesses inside the car showroom who said they heard “gunshots from an automatic rifle” during the shootout.

Saudi authorities announced the biggest drug bust in the Kingdom’s history on August 31, confiscating 47 million amphetamine pills worth up to a billion dollars on the street from a warehouse in Riyadh. Six Syrians and two Pakistanis were arrested in connection with the pills, which were smuggled inside a shipment of flour.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) last week noted Saudi Arabia’s growing problem with amphetamine abuse, as students and young workers turn to stimulants to help them handle multiple jobs and long hours.

The drug of choice across the Gulf states is captagon, an amphetamine produced heavily in Syria that can be used as both a work stimulant and a recreational drug. Some Saudis who spoke to AFP vowed to keep taking captagon to work grueling schedules and pay off their debts, even as they could clearly see the deleterious effects of the pills upon their health.

In May 2022, Al Arabiya reported on a major operation by Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah to finance its activities by smuggling captagon. Hezbollah denounced the report and threatened reprisals against Al Arabiya for refusing to retract it.

In August, Jordanian border guards busted a massive operation to smuggle captagon, hashish, and the narcotic Lyrica from Syria. The smugglers exchanged fire with Jordanian forces and retreated back into Syria after suffering an injury.