"The Few, The Loud, The Well Medicated
August 13, 2010: Al Qaeda has, once again, declared its intention of overthrowing the Saudi government. Al Qaeda in Arabia is much more effective at making grand proclamations, than it is in carrying them out. There aren't many of these Islamic terrorists, they aren't very good at what they say they can do, but they are still vicious killers if you get in their way.
Saudi border police arrest over 3,000 Yemenis a week at the frontier. Over 97 percent of these Yemenis are seeking jobs, the rest are smugglers and other criminals. On average, each week the Saudi guards seize 36 bottles of whiskey, 40 kg of hashish (and smaller quantities of other stuff like cocaine), nearly 4,000 pills (ecstasy, pain killers, others) and, mostly, Khat (60 tons a week of the narcotic leaf). There's much less smuggling going the other way (500-1,000 head of livestock and a few dozen stolen cars and trucks in a typical week). Given the number of Yemenis coming across, it's relatively easy for a terrorist to cross, because most of those who try to cross, don't get caught. But if you do get arrested, the Saudis have an impressive database of Yemenis and Saudis.
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