Yemeni gov't forces destroy 1,558 kg of hashish seized in border area

Members of the Yemeni government forces burn the confiscated hashish in the city of Midi, Hajjah Province, Yemen, on Oct. 24, 2022. Yemen's government forces on Monday burned 1,558 kg of hashish seized from smugglers in the past seven months in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a security official said. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

HAJJAH, Yemen, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government forces on Monday burned 1,558 kg of hashish seized from smugglers in the past seven months in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a security official said.

The destruction was carried out in the government-controlled city of Midi, in the presence of representatives of court, public prosecution, and security services.

"Today, we destroyed 1,558 kilograms of hashish that were seized from smugglers during the past seven months," Yunus Ibrahim Ahmed, a military officer of the Fifth Military District of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, told Xinhua at the site.

"Since the beginning of the civil war more than seven years ago, around 40 drug smuggling networks from Yemen to Saudi Arabia have been foiled," he said.

Members of the Yemeni government forces burn the confiscated hashish in the city of Midi, Hajjah Province, Yemen, on Oct. 24, 2022. Yemen's government forces on Monday burned 1,558 kg of hashish seized from smugglers in the past seven months in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a security official said. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

Because of its proximity to both the Saudi territories and the Red Sea, Hajjah has become an important stop for smugglers trying to move drugs into Saudi Arabia from war-torn Yemen.

In March, the government forces burned 1,100 kg of hashish and 8,000 narcotic pills seized from smugglers in the same area.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia took control of several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.