S. Arabia executes two for smuggling drugs they swallowed into kingdom

By RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
The Saudi Interior Ministry says authorities have beheaded two Nigerian men convicted of drug trafficking. The two Nigerians, identified as Mohammed Qodous and Idris Abdul-Ghani, were convicted of swallowing sachets of cocaine to smuggle it into the kingdom. The Interior Ministry says Sunday's beheadings took place in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape or armed robbery are executed in public with a sword. Forty-two people have been beheaded this year, according to an Associated Press count. Saudi Arabia beheaded 137 people last year, a number that was sharply up from 38 executed in 2006.