International gangs busted, 194kg of narcotics seized
Police arrest 12 men who used dhows to smuggle drugs
Dubai Police arrested 12 suspects and seized from them 194 kgs of drugs hidden in two dhows in two separate operations, a top official said yesterday.
Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-In-Chief at Dubai Police, said two international gangs were trying to smuggle the drugs into the country by concealing it in the dhows.
“Dubai police foiled a big international drug trafficking operation in Al Ras area at Dubai Creek harbour. Our teams were closely monitoring the suspects since receiving information about their criminal activities,” Maj Gen Al Merri said.
Police raided the two dhows and seized 135kg of hashish, 10 kg of opium, 46 kg of crystal meth and 3 kg of heroin.
Major-General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said the smugglers modified the structural frame of one of the dhows to use it for drug trafficking. “We found large quantities of drugs hidden between the wood panels under the deck of the boat,” Maj Gen Al Mansouri said.
The investigating team arrested a suspect, who had entered the country as a visitor, he said. The suspect’s role was to receive the consignment, store it and sell it in the UAE, Maj Gen Al Mansouri said.
“We found nine containers with large quantities of cannabis, crystal drugs and a scale, which confirmed his involvement.”
Later, Dubai Police was tipped-off about a second dhow in the Dubai Creek with sailors and a large quantity of drugs.
Colonel Khalid Bin Moyazeh, deputy director of the AntiNarcotic Department, said the operation dealt a painful blow to the drug dealers.