Sharjah Police uncover man-made ‘cannabis’ variants in drug bust

Lab analyses reveal extreme potency of synthetic substances

Sharjah Police have uncovered two new types of synthetic drugs that are twice as potent as naturally-occurring cannabis, after successfully detecting contraband hidden inside packaging for cosmetics.

Colonel Adel Ahmad Al Mazmi, Acting Head of The Criminal Laboratory Department of Sharjah Police, said: “The achievement in tracking the transformational processes in the field of narcotic substances comes as a result of the careful research efforts made by experts and technicians in the criminal laboratory department, taking advantage of the modern and advanced devices owned by the department, where two type of manufactured cannabinoid were discovered.”

Col Al Mazmi said the Department is the first crime lab in the UAE to be able to identify what these new types of drugs are, and the manufacturing methods used by drug runners.

The achievement came as a result of the efforts made by the analysis team’s experiments and research practices using latest scientific and technical methods, as well as the use of an updated database on manufacturing and promoting of narcotic substances, he added.

“Manufactured cannabinoid are synthetic compounds that can be mixed in secret laboratories. It has the same effect as cannabis, but it exceeds the effect of cannabis by 80 to 100 per cent, and its use leads to death. We affirm the readiness of the forensic laboratory in Sharjah in combating crime and drug trafficking, and dealing with developments in the field of the illegal drug industry and the different ways it is spread among the youth.”