Abu Dhabi: Four major operations by UAE authorities in the first six months of this year have smashed international drug-smuggling syndicates and seized 158 kilograms of marijuana and 2.7 million Captagon pills, federal policing authorities said on Monday.
The sting operations, conducted in cooperation with Saudi and Omani governments, led to the arrest of 12 suspects linked to the illicit drug trade in the region and beyond, police said.
Colonel Saeed Abdullah Al Suweidi, Director General of the Federal Anti Narcotics Department at Ministry of Interior, said Abu Dhabi and Sharjah police’s anti-drug departments received a tip off and carried out four operations in the first half of the year.
The third investigation was done in cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the fourth with Omani authorities.
The operations were carried out under the instructions of Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
Illegal drugs are banned in the UAE as per the United Nations Convention against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs act of 1988 and under Federal Law No. 39 of 2006 on International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters.
Colonel Taher Gareeb Al Daheri, Director of Narcotics Control Department of Abu Dhabi Police, said drug squad experts received reports that a large quantity of marijuana were going to be smuggled from Yemen to the UAE through Oman.
In the first case in early 2017, police chased the suspects who later tried to escape. When caught, police seized a gun with 31 bullets and Dh50,000 cash.
In another case, police received reports that a network outside of the UAE tried to smuggle marijuana and Captagon to Saudi Arabia passing through the UAE. Police said they learned through secret information that the network possessed a huge quantity of drugs and would be transporting it by road, he said.
When suspects tried to cross into Saudi Arabia from the UAE, they were arrested.
A fourth operation by Sharjah police after it received reports of plans to smuggle 2.656 million Captagon capsules to Saudi Arabia through the UAE.
As per the international drug reports of 2017 issued from the United Nations’ drugs and crime department, drug trade benefits some terrorist groups.
