{"id":9636,"date":"2026-10-27T23:26:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T20:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/drug-possession-offence-saudi-arabia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T23:27:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T20:27:54","slug":"drug-possession-offence-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/drug-possession-offence-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Drug Possession and Holding Offences under Saudi Law: Elements and Penalties"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.usus-tbl{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;max-width:760px;margin:12px 0 20px;font-size:15px}.usus-tbl th{background:#f4eff9;color:#2A124A;font-weight:700;text-align:right;padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:2px solid #C9A227}.usus-tbl td{padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e5ddec;vertical-align:top}<\/style>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p>Possession (\u062d\u064a\u0627\u0632\u0629) and holding (\u0625\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0632) are forms of contact with narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances that Saudi law criminalises when they occur outside the cases the law permits. Both are governed by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Law (Royal Decree M\/39 dated 8\/7\/1426H). Finding the substance is not enough to decide the charge: its nature, its attribution to the person, knowledge and intent, and the purpose behind the act must all be established. This is a general study of the legal rules, not an assessment of any particular case.<\/p>\n<table class=\"usus-tbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Purpose of possession or holding<\/th>\n<th>Penalty under the Law<\/th>\n<th>Article<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Dealing or promotion, paid or unpaid<\/td>\n<td>5 to 15 years&#8217; prison and a fine of SAR 1,000\u201350,000<\/td>\n<td>38\/1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>No dealing, promotion or use purpose (&#8220;simple possession&#8221;)<\/td>\n<td>2 to 5 years&#8217; prison and a fine of SAR 3,000\u201330,000<\/td>\n<td>39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Personal use<\/td>\n<td>6 months to 2 years&#8217; prison, no fine<\/td>\n<td>41\/1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure class=\"usus-ig usus-ig-9636-1\"><img class=\"wp-image-9641\" src=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9636-1.webp\" width=\"1200\" height=\"848\" alt=\" \u2014 Drug Possession and Holding Offences under Saudi Law (Usus Law Firm infographic)\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9636-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9636-1-768x543.webp 768w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9636-1-640x452.webp 640w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9636-1-400x283.webp 400w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9636-1-367x259.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>Possession and holding defined<\/h2>\n<p>Article 1 defines possession as placing one&#8217;s hand on the substance by way of ownership <em>or<\/em> appropriation, and holding as placing one&#8217;s hand on it by way of ownership <em>and<\/em> appropriation for any purpose. Each should be applied by its statutory meaning, without assuming they are identical or drawing a decisive distinction from the conjunction alone.<\/p>\n<h2>The material element<\/h2>\n<p>The substance must be proven to be listed in the schedules to the Law, by laboratory analysis in an accredited laboratory, and the person&#8217;s control over it must be proven separately. Presence of the substance in a shared place does not, by itself, prove possession by everyone there. For controlled medicines, the prescription, licence, quantity and dispensing conditions must be checked.<\/p>\n<h2>The mental element and purpose<\/h2>\n<p>The person must know the nature of the substance and intend to possess it. Knowledge may be inferred from clear circumstantial evidence linked to the person. Quantity alone does not settle an intent to promote; packaging, scales and delivery dealings are indications weighed with the other evidence, not conclusive proof.<\/p>\n<h2>Discretionary flogging<\/h2>\n<p>The published text of Articles 38 and 39 provides for flogging of up to fifty lashes each time. A later circular of the Minister of Justice, based on a Supreme Court decision, replaces discretionary flogging with prison, a fine, both, or alternative penalties.<\/p>\n<h2>Aggravation and treatment<\/h2>\n<p>Article 38\/2 lists aggravating circumstances, including offences in mosques, schools or correctional institutions, heroin or cocaine (or equally dangerous listed substances), exploiting a person under the offender&#8217;s authority or a minor, and preparing a place for use. Under Article 42\/1, no case is brought for use or addiction if the person, or a close relative, comes forward asking for treatment and hands over any substances.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the penalty for simple drug possession in Saudi Arabia?<\/h3>\n<p>Two to five years&#8217; prison and a fine of SAR 3,000\u201330,000 (Article 39).<\/p>\n<h3>Does quantity alone prove intent to sell?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Quantity is one indication weighed with the other evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Usus Law Firm defends drug cases from investigation to judgment. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/drug-lawyer-riyadh\/\">drug lawyer in Riyadh<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#6a6178;border-top:1px solid #e6ddd0;padding-top:10px;margin-top:16px\"><em>This article is general legal information and is not a substitute for advice on your specific case. Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia are in Arabic; the official Arabic text of each law prevails.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"usus-qbox\">\n<h2>Request a quick consultation<\/h2>\n<p>Leave your name and mobile number, and a lawyer from our Riyadh or Tabuk office will call you during working hours. We advise in English.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"6963\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9636#wpcf7-f6963-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"6963\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.2.2\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_US\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<span id=\"wpcf7-6ae23b02427cc-wrapper\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap cf7apps-honeypot-wrap honeypot-qf-wrap\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);white-space:nowrap;border:0;\"><label for=\"wpcf7-6ae23b02427cc-field\" class=\"hp-message\">Please leave this field empty.<\/label><input id=\"wpcf7-6ae23b02427cc-field\"  class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text\" type=\"text\" name=\"honeypot-qf\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"new-password\" tabindex=\"1000\" data-cf7apps-tabindex=\"1000\" \/><\/span>\n<div class=\"usus-qf\">\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-name\">Name<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-name\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Your name\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"q-name\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-phone\">Mobile<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-phone\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-tel wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-tel\" id=\"q-phone\" autocomplete=\"tel\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"05xxxxxxxx\" value=\"\" type=\"tel\" name=\"q-phone\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-city\">City<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-city\"><select class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-select wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-city\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"q-city\"><option value=\"Riyadh\">Riyadh<\/option><option value=\"Tabuk\">Tabuk<\/option><option value=\"Other city\">Other city<\/option><\/select><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f w\"><label for=\"q-msg\">Your case in brief (optional)<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-msg\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"2\" maxlength=\"600\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" id=\"q-msg\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"One or two lines are enough\" name=\"q-msg\"><\/textarea><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"s\"><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Request a call from a lawyer\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Possession (\u062d\u064a\u0627\u0632\u0629) and holding (\u0625\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0632) are forms of contact with narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances that Saudi law criminalises when they occur outside the cases the law permits. Both are governed by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Law (Royal Decree M\/39 dated 8\/7\/1426H). Finding the substance is not enough to decide the charge: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[84,86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-law","category-team-writings"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9636-1140x445.jpg?wsr",1140,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9636-463x348.jpg?wsr",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9636-300x169.jpg?wsr",300,169,true],"full":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9636.jpg?wsr",1200,675,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9643,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9636\/revisions\/9643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}