Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police have arrested five Asians with 17.5kg of narcotics, which they were planning to sell in the country. The police nabbed the accused in two separate operations, an official said on Saturday.
Brigadier Mohammad Suhail Al Rashidi, acting director of the Criminal Security Sector of the Abu Dhabi Police, said that in the first operation named ‘big challenge’, the police arrested an international gang consisting of four persons, with 12kg of heroin. They had concealed the drug under four tonnes of vehicle spare parts in a cargo container at a shop in an industrial area.
In the second operation named ‘phones of death’, the police arrested a drug dealer with 5.5kg drugs that were concealed in a mobile phone shop in the emirate.
Brigadier Al Rashidi pointed out that the ‘big challenge’ was a major security challenge that involved monitoring the gang’s movements over 18 days in several emirates until they were arrested.
He said that the gang members were picked up from a shipping container in a shop in one of the industrial zones of the emirate where they hid the drug. The drugs were found after unloading the container with four tonnes of vehicle spare parts stacked above them. The remaining drugs, kept by the same gang, was found from a house.
The total weight of the seizure from the first raid was 12kg, of which 8kg was heroin and 4kg crystal anaesthetic.
Colonel Taher Gareeb Al Daheri, director of the Directorate of Drug Control in the criminal security sector, said in the second operation named ‘phones of death,’ the suspect was a regular salesman in the shop.
Following a tip-off, the police team found that the suspect was planning to market the drug across the UAE. The police foiled his attempt by arresting him in the well-planned operation.
The two campaigns coincided with the campaign titled “My Life is the Most Expensive” carried out by Abu Dhabi Police to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs.
The Directorate of Drug Control’s mission is not limited to drug control alone but creating a safe environment to protect the society from the clutches of drugs and conduct awareness activities among families and the youth, the official said. The directorate also follows up with the repentant addicts to ensure that they do not return to drugs, he said.
The officials urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to drugs on telephone number: 8002626, pointing out that all the information received will be kept strictly confidential to protect the privacy of informers.
