Copy of Saudi landing card.
Treatment of those alleged to be carrying drugs at borders contrasts sharply with those
caught possessing or transporting drugs internally. Of the thirteen drug-related cases
involving Pakistani detainees, those caught transporting drugs inside the country received
sentences of between six months to ten years, while those caught bringing drugs from
outside the country received the death penalty or sentences of four years or more.
For example, Iqbal, the son of another defendant, said that Saudi authorities apprehended
he carried with him pain killers and sleeping pills he used to treat himself for complications
from a broken leg in 2013. A court eventually sentenced him to four years in prison.52
Drug-Trafficking Involving Pakistani Citizens
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime country profile for Pakistan,
rominent transnational criminal industries operating from, in and through Pakistan
include drug trafficking, precursor trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking and
migrant smuggling. Despite efforts to curb criminal activity, increasingly high volumes of
trade and traffic, coupled with potential corruption, facilitate the movement of contraband
and allow exploitation by criminal groups.
52
53
Justice Project Pakistan interview with Iqbal, Lahore, September 8, 2016.
53
https://www.unodc.org/pakistan/en/country-profile.html (accessed August 30, 2017).
AUGHT IN A WEB
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