4 drug dealers arrested in joint operation
Police recover a large amount of opium, hashish and 70,000 prohibited pills in raid
Dubai: A gang of four dangerous drug smugglers were arrested in Abu Dhabi last November, a top police official said yesterday.
A joint police team from Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Police and Al Ain Police was formed for the mission, the official added.
Major General Abdul Jalil Mahdi Al Asmawi, director of Dubai Police Anti-Narcotic Department and the deputy of the Federal Committee to fight drugs, told a press conference at Dubai Police headquarters that police recovered a large amount of opium, hashish and 70,000 prohibited pills.
Two Emiratis, one Asian and an Arab were arrested red handed while trying to sell the drugs in the country, he said.
Major General Al Asmawi said the joint operation, called “the farm”, was carried out in mid-November last year.
“The head of the gang...is an Emirati who owns the farm in Abu Dhabi were he and the gang members used to keep the drugs before selling it in the country,” Major General Al Asmawi said.
He said the Asian suspect lives in a neighbouring country and all the suspects are drug addicts.
The first suspect A.S., 29, Emirati, married with a criminal record was arrested for using drugs in 2013, the other suspect Kh.Kh., 40, is also an Emirati with a criminal record, Major General Al Asmawi said.
The first defendant, A.S., told police after his arrest that he used to work with a drug dealer in a neighbouring country. He used to bring drugs into the UAE on fishing boats via the country’s ports.
A.S. told police that he and his partners used to bury the drugs in the farm and sell them later. Drugs were also hidden in the ceilings and the suspects’ cars.
Police raided the farm and found two guns and bullets in addition to an electric detonator and a large amount of money.
Major General Al Asmawi said one of the suspects was arrested in the Al Musafah Industrial area in Abu Dhabi.
The other suspects were arrested in Al Ain.
The gang members set up surveillance cameras around the farm with a mobile monitor to help them to keep a check on their surroundings, he said.
Major General Al Asmawi said the case transferred to public prosecution for more investigation.
