Zamzam black market flourishes with vendors finding loopholes

Makkah : Vendors of Zamzam water said they have found a way to sell Zamzam without being caught. Abdullah Al-Rajhi said he sells Zamzam water bottles in batches near King Abdullah Zamzam Water Project in Makkah.

“I have people who go in and buy a bunch of water bottles for me and then I sell them for profit. I sell two Zamzam water bottles for SR5. There are individuals who will pay more money just to obtain a large number of water bottles,” said Al-Rajhi.

He also said Zamzam water vendors have many tricks and ways to obtain the water bottles and sell them.

“Some set up their selling points outside of Makkah to reach out to people outside of Makkah. Others have accounts on social media selling over 20,000 Zamzam water bottles with the capacity of 5 or 10 liters. They also offer delivery services as well — anywhere in the Kingdom. There are those who are also willing to ship Zamzam water to international customers,” said Al-Rajhi.

He added international vendors are shipping a minimum of 1,000 bottles per shipment for SR16 per bottle in addition to packaging expenses reaching SR2 for the gallon.

Saleh Al-Muwallad said he also sells Zamzam water bottles in batches but he stores them in a warehouse to protect them from sunlight.

“I sell Zamzam water all year round but the demand rises during Ramadan and so does my profit. On regular days, I gain a profit of SR1 per bottle but during Ramadan my profit increases significantly as a bottle is sold for SR16,” said Al-Muwallad.

A source from King Abdullah Zamzam Water Project said the project distributes Zamzam water bottles for free to pilgrims.

“We do it systematically as each pilgrim has a card specifying whether he is here on his own or with a family. We give 10 Zamzam water bottles for families. Some of the pilgrims strike an agreement with vendors that they will get their rightful 10 water bottles and then sell them to the vendors,” said the source.

The source also said all what the people working for the project can do is to report any selling of Zamzam water they see.

“It is not our responsibility to arrest vendors or charge them for breaking the law. Our job is to distribute Zamzam water to pilgrims. But we are willing to work with the pertinent authorities to regulate this activity,” said the source.