A joint field campaign conducted by the Jeddah Municipality yesterday resulted in the seizure of 16,450 kg of unidentified tobacco products in a non-compliant warehouse in the Al-Khumra neighborhood south of the governorate. The warehouse was used for packaging tobacco products, alongside operating an independent plastic recycling and waste bag production activity.

Director General of Monitoring and Dealing with Negative Phenomena, Yasser bin Saraj Bakhsh, explained that field teams inspected the warehouse and found it was entirely used for grinding and packaging large quantities of unidentified 'tumbak' (a type of tobacco), in addition to two rooms for worker accommodation alongside machinery and equipment used for processing and manufacturing tobacco products.

He stated that the campaign, supported by several relevant authorities, resulted in the seizure of 16,450 kg of raw 'tumbak' and 450 bags of pre-packaged containers with a capacity of 50 grams each. All seized quantities were destroyed on-site with the support of the municipality's specialized departments, and legal proceedings were initiated against the violators.

He added that inspection work revealed another independent activity inside the warehouse: a plastic recycling and waste bag production facility with a commercial name printed on the products. Usable waste bags were inventoried and handed over to the 'Istiadama' association for preserving blessings.

He noted that the site was seized and legal procedures against its owner were completed, pending closure after the conclusion of legal proceedings.

The Jeddah Municipality reaffirms its continued inspection campaigns to monitor violative activities and curb irregular practices affecting public health, calling on citizens and residents to report any observations via the 'Baladi' app or the unified reporting center (940).