Pubdate:  Mon, 11 Aug 1997

DUBAI, Aug 11 (Reuter)  Saudi Arabia on Monday beheaded an Indian man for
smuggling heroin into the kingdom, raising the number of people executed so
far this year to 78. 

An Interior Ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency
said a court found the man guilty of smuggling an unspecified quantity of
heroin into the conservative kingdom. 

The public execution took place in the port city of Jeddah. 

Saudi Arabia applies Islamic sharia law by publicly beheading convicted
murderers, rapists, drug traffickers and other criminals. A total of 68
people were beheaded in 1996. 

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