Vice Cops Arrest Drug Dealer and Pimps in Makkah Raids Badea Abu Al-Naja, Arab News http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=94427&d=1&m=4&y=2007 MAKKAH, April 2007 - A drug dealer and a gang of pimps were arrested by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in two separate incidents that took place in the city recently.
Following a tip-off about a Saudi drug dealer in his 40s, who would all sell alcohol and bring prostitutes to his home, commission members covertly maintained a surveillance operation of the man's home documenting cars belonging to customers, who would come to buy drugs. The tip-off proved true and, although the drug-dealer had set up cameras at his home to inform him of potential police raids, commission members successfully raided the man's house, where he was found drunk. "We managed to confiscate around one and a half kilos of hashish, five bottles of alcohol, SR7,530 of drug money and an abundance of pornography movies," said a commission member, who preferred to remain anonymous. Commission members arrested a woman, thought to be a prostitute, at the man's home. "Following investigations, we learned that the man has been dealing in drugs for quite some time. He has been operating with a Pakistani man and a local Saudi man. The three have been handed over to the Anti-Drugs Department for further questioning," said the commission member. In a separate incident, commission members raided two brothels in the city and arrested a number of expatriate prostitutes and their Pakistani pimps. "The commission received a tip-off that there are two brothels operating in the Al-Haj Street and Al-Mansour Street. The pimps running the brothels were all Pakistanis. They would provide the women with accommodation to sell themselves," said the commission spokesman. "The women would charge SR200 for a short time with them. For an entire night they would charge SR500 to SR600. A commission member asked a Pakistani pimp to arrange a date for him. He told him to arrive at a certain place at a certain time. Commission members raided the location and found a number of drunken men, alcohol and prostitutes. The pimps and prostitutes were all arrested and have been transferred to the police for further questioning," said the commission member. Meanwhile, the Madinah branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has begun a new training program to improve the performance of commission members. Some of the courses teach members different topics related to the job of promoting virtue and preventing vice. The courses, taught by religious experts, teach commission members about work ethics and commission's rules and regulations. Attendees are also being provided training in how to interact with the public, how to use computers, and details of how to implement new administrative rules. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice also offers members opportunities to pursue further study by offering scholarships at the Umm Al-Qura University, Naif University, as well as other Saudi universities. "The Madinah branch of the commission is now implementing its yearly plan. We ran nine courses last year and more than 375 members have benefited from them. More members are now being sent to the Promotion for Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Faculty at the Umm Al-Qura University for further training," said Sulaiman Al-Tuwijri, general manager of the commission's Madinah branch.
