"Talal Ali Qassem was captured smuggling a large quantity of methamphetamine. Investigations led to his confession," the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing the interior ministry.
Qassem was executed in the northern region of Jawf.
The ministry says the government is battling narcotics "because of their great harm to individuals and society".
In September, an independent expert working on behalf of the United Nations called for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.
Rape, murder, apostasy and armed robbery are also punishable by death under the kingdom's strict version of Islamic sharia law.