Saudi authorities on Tuesday beheaded three Afghan citizens convicted of smuggling drugs into the country, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, said Mohammed Qayoum Sakhi, Akbar Omar and Farid Jawid were arrested while trying to smuggle heroin into the kingdom. They were executed in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed. Tuesday's execution brought to 81 the number of people, including two women, beheaded in the kingdom this year. Executions are performed with a sword and in public as a deterrent. The kingdom beheaded 38 people last year and 83 people in 2005.