Jeddah Municipality seizes 16 tons of unknown tobacco and closes illegal warehouse in Al-Khumrah district.

2026-07-08T13:41:56.319Z

The Jeddah Municipality, during a joint field campaign, seized an illegal warehouse in Al-Khumrah district south of the city, which was being used for grinding and packaging unknown-source tobacco. It confiscated and destroyed 16,450 kg of tobacco and 450 bags of ready-made packages. Inside, a plastic recycling plant and waste bags were discovered, and legal procedures to close the site are being completed.

The Jeddah Municipality seized 16,450 kilograms of tobacco products of unknown origin inside an illegal warehouse in Al-Khumrah district south of the city, during a joint field campaign carried out yesterday, Tuesday, which revealed that the warehouse was being used for grinding and packaging large quantities of raw tobacco.

The Director General of Monitoring and Dealing with Negative Phenomena in the Municipality, Yasser bin Saraj Bakhsh, stated that field teams inspected the warehouse and found it fully exploited for processing and manufacturing tobacco products, in addition to the presence of two rooms dedicated to workers' accommodation, and specialized machines and equipment for this purpose.

He indicated that the campaign resulted in the seizure of 16,450 kilograms of raw tobacco and 450 bags of ready-made packages with a capacity of 50 grams each. All seized quantities were destroyed on site with the support of the relevant departments, and legal procedures against the violators were completed.

Inspection work revealed another independent activity inside the same warehouse, consisting of a plastic recycling plant and waste bag production, bearing a commercial name printed on the products. The usable bags were inventoried and handed over to the Istadama Association for the Preservation of Blessings.

Bakhsh stated that the site was seized and legal procedures against its owner are being completed pending official closure, stressing that the campaign was carried out with the support of the Municipality's Warehouse Control Department, and the participation of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Ministry of Commerce, the Field Inspection Department, and the Civil Defense.

He affirmed that the Jeddah Municipality continues its inspection campaigns to monitor illegal activities and limit irregular practices that affect public health, calling on citizens and residents to report any violations via the 'Baladi' application or the unified reporting center at number 940.