A man was arrested by Saudi Arabian authorities while allegedly attempting to smuggle 48,000 cans of Heineken beer disguised as Pepsi Cola into the country from the United Arab Emirates, according to media reports.
Alcohol is strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia and the penalty includes a prison sentence and flogging.
Watch: Saudi customs official removes plastic label to reveal beer can
“A truck carrying what first seemed to be normal cans of the soft drink Pepsi was stopped and after the standard process of searching the products, it became clear that the alcoholic beers were covered with Pepsi’s sticker logos,” Abdulrahman al Mahna, the general manager of Al Batha border crossing, was quoted as saying by Al Arabiya News on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}“A truck carrying what first seemed to be normal cans of the soft drink Pepsi was stopped and after the standard process of searching the products, it became clear that the alcoholic beers were covered with Pepsi’s sticker logos,” Abdulrahman al Mahna, the general manager of Al Batha border crossing, was quoted as saying by Al Arabiya News on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}The man was apprehended after Saudi customs officers detected the beer cans.
Al-Mahna said the latest attempt was one of “many new innovative ways” adopted by smugglers to sneak alcohol into the country but his men “are always ready and alert to catch” the contraband.
On its official Twitter handle, Saudi Arabian customs posted photos of the beer cans covered with Pepsi stickers and a brief video of an official cutting away the sticker to reveal a beer can.