International Security Alliance, in collaboration with UAE, seizes 822 tonnes of drugs

With the participation of the United Arab Emirates, the International Security Alliance (ISA) successfully carried out a joint counter-narcotics operation targeting transnational criminal groups involved in drug trafficking. The seized narcotics are valued at $2.9 billion. The operation was conducted in cooperation with 25 countries worldwide, along with several international law enforcement organizations.

The operation, executed by air, sea, and land, marked the Alliance’s second such mission. It resulted in the seizure of more than 822 tons of various types of illicit drugs and the arrest of 12,564 suspects across the globe.

Participating member states of the ISA included the UAE, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Spain, Morocco, France, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Italy, along with Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, and Peru, representing the Americas Police Community (Ameripol). Croatia and Belgium also took part under the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), in addition to the Maldives, Jordan, and Nepal.

This extensive collaboration contributed to gathering intelligence on emerging criminal networks, exchanging expertise on trafficking methods, unifying the Alliance’s and partners’ efforts in combating narcotics, and fostering bilateral relations among specialists. The initiative enhanced field coordination efficiency, strengthened collective preparedness, and advanced proactive mechanisms to counter and control cross-border drug flows.

The International Security Alliance (ISA) was established in 2017 by France and the UAE as a framework to enhance cooperation and build partnerships among member states in addressing shared security challenges. The Alliance focuses on global security issues, foremost among them the fight against transnational organized crime, while adopting an approach that combines high-level strategic cooperation with operational field engagement to ensure effective outcomes in combating criminal activity.

Beyond its core objectives, the ISA also contributes to consolidating the UAE’s role and standing as an influential force in shaping the international security agenda, while reinforcing its global and regional influence through long-term strategic partnerships.

This operation comes two months after the UAE Ministry of Interior foiled an attempt to distribute narcotic pills in the country last June, seizing a shipment that had arrived from Hamburg, Germany through a maritime shipping company.

In that operation, the Ministry’s anti-narcotics units carried out a specialized operation that successfully thwarted a criminal attempt to circulate narcotic pills within the country. Field surveillance teams detected suspicious activity involving two Arab nationals, and investigations confirmed their connection to an international drug trafficking and distribution network.

The competent security authorities raided two locations: one where the suspects were unloading and preparing the narcotic pills for distribution within the country, and another where a mechanical construction machine (excavator) was found concealing an additional quantity of pills, based on classified intelligence obtained by the task force.

The Ministry of Interior emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating narcotics, in order to prevent transnational criminal networks from pursuing their cross-border activities. The relevant departments will continue to follow up on the investigations to apprehend suspects located outside the UAE, in coordination with their international counterparts and through the required legal procedures.