Article 59 of the Saudi Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law

المادة 59 من نظام مكافحة المخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية

The article punishes attempting the Article 38(1) offenses with up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 50,000, attempting other offenses with up to half the maximum penalties, and allows the court to add flogging.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

1 - يعاقب على الشروع في أي جريمة من الجرائم المنصوص عليها في الفقرة رقم (1) من المادة (الثامنة والثلاثين) من هذا النظام، بالسجن مدة لا تزيد على عشر سنوات، وبغرامة لا تزيد على خمسين ألف ريال.

2 - يعاقب على الشروع في أي جريمة من الجرائم الأخرى بما لا يزيد على نصف الحد الأعلى لعقوبتي السجن والغرامة المحددتين في هذا النظام للجريمة التامة.

3 - بالإضافة إلى ما ورد في الفقرتين 2،1 من هذه المادة، للمحكمة أن تحكم بعقوبة الجلد التي تراها مناسبة في جميع الأحوال.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 59 explained in plain English

This article sets the penalty for attempt, meaning starting to commit the offense without completing it, in the offenses of this Law, and distinguishes between two kinds:

Paragraph 1: attempting trafficking and dealing offenses

Attempting any of the offenses provided for in paragraph 1 of Article 38 is punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years and a fine not exceeding SAR 50,000. That paragraph punishes a person who possessed narcotics or plant seeds, produced, sold, bought, financed, transported, delivered or brokered them, and the like, with the intent of trafficking or dealing, with imprisonment from 5 to 15 years, flogging, and a fine from SAR 1,000 to SAR 50,000.

Paragraph 2: attempting other offenses

Attempting any other offense in the Law is punished with no more than half of the maximum of the imprisonment and fine penalties set for the completed offense. If the maximum imprisonment for an offense is 5 years, for example, the maximum for attempting it is two and a half years.

Paragraph 3: flogging

In addition to the above, the court may order such flogging as it sees fit in all cases.

So a person does not escape punishment merely because the offense was not completed. This article comes after Article 58, which punishes a participant by agreement, incitement or assistance with the penalty of the offense itself, and before Article 60, which allows the court, for valid reasons, to go below the minimum prison penalty in specific articles.

Anyone facing an accusation of attempt needs to consult a lawyer specialized in criminal cases, because the difference between attempt, preparatory acts and the completed offense is a matter of facts.

Practical example

A person in Riyadh agrees to sell a quantity of narcotic pills to a buyer, and is caught on his way to the delivery place before the deal is completed. This is an attempt at one of the paragraph 1 offenses of Article 38, so he is punished with imprisonment for no more than 10 years and a fine of no more than SAR 50,000, and the court may add such flogging as it sees fit.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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