Dubai: Three people have been arrested for the possession of 78,000 Tramadol tablets, a controlled drug, Dubai Police announced on Monday.
The three Arab men were planning to sell the drug, which are worth more than Dh800,000, Major General Abdul Jalil Mahdi, Director of Dubai Police's Anti-Narcotics Department, said.
Police received a tip that the three suspects, who were in Barsha South, were trying to sell the tablets and using narcotics. They were identified as S.A.T and H.A.A., both 31-year-old interior design technicians, and A.A.M., a 32-year-old hotel employee.
A team of police officers moved to the specified location at 11:30am on January 9 and waited until the three suspects gathered near a car that belonged to one of them.
The three were arrested by police and at first they denied they had any narcotics.
When conducting personal search, police found half a tablet of a narcotic drug in the third suspect's wallet.
When faced with the evidence, the first suspect confessed that he had Tramadol hidden in the trunk of a his rented car.
Found in hotel
The second suspect said the entire shipment belonged to him, and that he had found it in suitcases on the roof of the hotel he was working in.
He said the first suspect told him to hide the tablets and keep them until they manage to sell the lot, and took some boxes to give it to the third suspect, who hid the tablets in the apartment he was sharing with the first suspect in Sharjah.
In coordination with Sharjah Police, the apartment was raided in the presence of the first and second suspects at 11pm on January 9, and a huge quantity of tablets was found, and more was found in the second suspect's hotel room, bringing the total number to 78,000 tablets.
The three suspects were referred to prosecution and the first and second were charged with possession of psychotropic drugs, while the third was charged with possession and abuse of drugs.
Mood swings
Tramadol belongs to the class of drugs known as opiate agonists. It is a painkiller that works by changing the way the body senses pain. Users can develop dependency on the drug, and withdrawal symptoms can range from minor to severe. They could include an increase in pain, sweating, anxiety, tremors, diarrhoea, insomnia and hallucinations.
The most common signs of Tramadol addiction include: secluded behaviour and need to spend large amounts of time alone, stealing, especially among teenagers who need the money to buy the drug, lying and dishonest behaviour, change in friends and social circles, replacing friends with new ones, unexplained mood swings and change in behaviour.
Dubai Police's Anti-Narcotics Department encourages all residents who have a drug problem or suspect that their children may have one to come forward for treatment. People who seek treatment and those reported by family members will be exempted from punishment by law, regardless of nationality, and will be given treatment, rehabilitation and re-integration support.
For help or information call 800400400.
