Dubai drug suspects drank champagne on $20,000-a trip yacht before arrest
It was a standard hire. They picked up the boat for a pleasure cruise to do some sight-seeing and have a bit of a jolly. They were quite a big group, certainly more than just the five who were arrested
A champagne cruise around the Palm Jumeirah and a wild party on board a 25-metre luxury yacht was how an alleged Australian drug gang spent their last few hours of freedom in Dubai.
The Dubai five – Michael Ibrahim, 39, brother Fadi, 43, Mustapha Dib, Stephen Elmir and Koder Jomaa, 47 – were arrested shortly after docking after a five-hour cruise around the city coastline.
They had hired the vessel for US$20,000 (Dh73,464), paid in cash, and drank Cristal champagne by the bottle, staff said.
A joint sting operation between Australian and UAE authorities two years in the making reached its dramatic conclusion in the early hours of August 8.
The gang stands accused of running a complex narcotics and tobacco smuggling syndicate worth more than Dh2.4 billion that would have led to Australian streets being flooded with crystal meth, cocaine and ecstasy tablets – as well as 50 million cigarettes.
More than 70 anti-narcotics officers have worked on the case, with a crack team of police awaiting to arrest the men shortly after leaving the vessel they had hired from Xclusive Yachts, a charter company popular with tourists.
“We can confirm these guys hired one of our yachts for about five hours on a pleasure cruise around The Palm,” said a sales director at Xclusive Yachts.
“They were picked up by police shortly after they returned the boat and disembarked.
“It was a standard hire. They picked up the boat for a pleasure cruise to do some sight-seeing and have a bit of a jolly.
“They were quite a big group, certainly more than just the five who were arrested.
“There was a lead booker, but I don’t know the name. They were on our VIP 84-foot yacht
Maiora, an Italian boat.”
The yacht hired is in the VIP class of boats available for private charter.
It has “superb interior luxury” according to a promotional guide – with “sophisticated parquet wooden flooring, discreet ceiling lights, warm wooden walls which contain a touch of sugar coloured fabric panelling”.
The yacht promises to deliver “an illustrious delight” with those onboard amazed with a full Bose surround-sound system and full air conditioning throughout a mesmerising interior.
On board, VIP cabins are the full width of the yacht’s beam, with large beds, aesthetic furnishing and panoramic views of Dubai.
There is also a substantial dining area and contemporary saloon aboard, and a generous outdoor sundeck, complete with a bar and barbecue. That luxury does not come cheap, with Xclusive Yachts confirming that the gang had paid $20,000 in cash for the hire.
“They were certainly living the high life and had a couple of cases of Cristal champagne on board,” the charter company’s sales director said.
“It looks as though they were picked up pretty quickly. They [police officers] obviously knew where they were and what they were doing and picked them up when they were most vulnerable.
“We’ve had no contact from police in relation to this particular hire. The men are understood to have been taken into custody at Barsha police station where they await a court hearing for extradition back to Australia.”
Lawyers have said the men could be detained longer in Dubai, if they have property here in the UAE that can be connected to the alleged criminal activity.