Dubai: A six-member drug gang who attempted to smuggle more than 11 kilograms of hashish from the UAE to Saudi Arabia were caught early this month by the Anti-Narcotics Department at Dubai Police, in cooperation with their counterparts in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.
Police said that the gang members were of three different Arab nationalities.
Investigations showed that they are allegedly professional criminals who are believed to be part of regional drug smuggling operations that include a number of countries including the UAE.
Maj Gen Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, lauded the teams’ efforts, noting the significance of this operation as this was a dangerous gang actively smuggling drugs to and from the UAE.
The youngest of the men arrested was A.L.A.S., 22, who, according to the confessions of the other members, was considered the head of the gang.
Colonel Eid Thani Hareb, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Dubai Police, said “on September 30, we received information about the first suspect, A.Y.H., 27, that he was using and in possession of drugs.”
He said a team ambushed him near a parking lot in International City and, after searching his car, they found 11 blocks of hashish wrapped in plastic bags. The total weight of the hashish seized was 11.223kg.
Col Hareb said that each member had a specific role. A.A.M., 31, a truck driver, was arrested after driving his truck into the country through one of the land ports in the UAE. He would transport the drugs in his truck from one country to the other.
After that, a team from the Anti-Narcotics Department of Dubai Police and Abu Dhabi raided the house of A.L.A.S., 22, who lived in Abu Dhabi and he was arrested along with G.B.M.S., 25, who was on a visit visa.
G.B.M.S. was charged with possession and using drugs, as they found a piece of hashish in his pockets and blood tests showed that he was also using.
Col Hareb said that A.L.A.S. had multiple key roles in the gang’s operations as he was responsible for dividing the roles, storing the drugs, and passing the drugs on for smuggling, as he was the one who gave the 11 blocks of hashish to the first suspect, A.Y.H.
The last two suspects, M.M.G., 30, and M.M.K., 29, who are both truck drivers and would smuggle drugs in their truck, were later arrested.
M.M.G. was arrested trying to smuggle drugs in his truck after entering the country through a land port and, when searching his apartment, they found M.M.K.
All the six were transferred to the Public Prosecution. A.Y.H. was charged with possession of narcotic substances with intention to export, and A.A.M was charged with promoting drugs, A.L.A.S. was charged with possession, promotion and abuse of a narcotics and G.B.M.S. was charged with possession and abuse of narcotics, M.M.G. was charged with possession and promotion of narcotic substances and M.M.K. was charged with possession of narcotic substances.
