Oman citizens foil drug smuggling attempt

Muscat: Alert citizens along Oman’s northern coast foiled an attempt by drug traffickers to smuggle a huge quantity of a narcotic-like drug, according to a Royal Oman Police (ROP) press release.

According to a ROP spokesman, five unnamed citizens tried to intercept a suspicious boat approaching the coast near Saham town, about 111km north of Muscat. “They even sought the assistance from the Coast Guard as they pursued the boat,” he added.

The police spokesman added that sensing trouble the alleged drug traffickers turned back but dumped the drug consignment before speeding off into the regional waters.

The citizens, with the help of Coast Guards, retrieved the dumped consignment from the sea and it turned out to be 69,450 pills of Tramadol, a narcotic-like pain reliever. “The value of the dumped drug is more than 1.3 million Omani riyals (Dh12.36 million),” the spokesman revealed.

The incident was reported to the North Batinah police station, where the drugs were handed over. Colonel Abdullah Bin Saleh Al Ghailani, Commander of the North Batinah Police, honoured the five citizens for challenging the smugglers and helping the Coast Guard complete the operation.

The ROP are carrying out a campaign against drug users as well as smugglers and the public can report any drug abuse to the police on hotline 1444.