Armed drug peddler among four arrested in Oman

Muscat: An armed peddler was among four drug traffickers arrested as police further intensified their campaign against the menace of narcotics in Oman.

The ROP sleuths from North Batinah region, arrested an Omani from Shinas, about 290-km north of Muscat, with one-and-a-half kilogram of heroin, arms and cash, according to a Royal Oman Police (ROP) press release on Wednesday.

“The accused has links with an international gang of drug smugglers,” revealed a spokesman for the ROP’s Public Relations Department. According to the ROP spokesman, the accused had hidden drugs inside his undergarments along with 3,000 Omani riyals in cash. He said that the suspect also had two traditional rifles in his possession at the time of his arrest.

Meanwhile, police in Muscat busted a drug deal in Hamriya area and arrested two Asian expatriates as well as an Omani on the charges of possessing and trafficking narcotic. “The Omani suspect had 20 heroin capsules in his possession at the time of his arrest while the two Asian suspect were carrying 55 capsules filled with heroin,” He added that the ROP sleuths raided the suspects’ den following a tip off that the two Asian suspects would deliver drugs to the Omani suspect. “The Asian suspects are part of a larger Asian network of drug traffickers,” he revealed.

The suspects in both the drug bust were handed over to the Public Prosecution for further investigations before presenting them to a concerned court. M

eanwhile, in Seeb suburb of Muscat, the police arrested a salesman after ROP teams found 21 bottles of alcoholic beverages and a large quantity of banned packets of tobacco as well as cigarettes hidden inside his shop.

“The suspect will also be tried for violating the Consumer Protection Laws besides illegally keeping alcohol for trading purpose,” the ROP spokesman pointed out.

On the other hand, the ROP’s department for combating economic crime arrested two suspects of African nationality for swindling residents. “The suspects by claimed that they could convert ordinary paper into bank notes against some cash payments,” the ROP spokesman revealed. The suspects, he added, were found in possession of certain types of paper, inks and colourful solutions and seals which they used in fooling their victims. The spokesman from the ROP’s Public Relations Department pointed out that many people still fall prey to swindlers who continue to develop smarter ways of fraud to convince their potential victims.

The police also arrested 12 women, found to be absconding from their employers, on charges of indulging in prostitution after a raid at a hotel in Al Khuwair area of Muscat.

In their continuous drive against the illegal immigrants in the country, the ROP have collaborated with the other security agencies to arrest 137 illegal immigrants from different parts of the country last week. The ROP also repatriated 88 infiltrators last week.