Abu Dhabi Police operation across UAE leads to 142 drug traffickers being caught

Abu Dhabi Police say accused used social media to sell narcotics

Abu Dhabi Police have arrested 142 drug traffickers of different nationalities belonging to organised drug trafficking networks.

The criminals were arrested in different emirates of the UAE by Abu Dhabi Police in cooperation with its strategic partners. According to an Abu Dhabi Police press release yesterday, around 816 kilograms of narcotics were seized from the drug traffickers.

Random messages

Brigadier-General Taher Ghareeb Al Daheri, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate in the Criminal Security Sector, said that the anti-narcotics team spotted a weird phenomenon of sending random messages through social media platforms containing pictures, videos and audio messages promoting drugs and claiming their ability to deliver the drug anywhere in the country.

“The gang leaders have used international phone numbers to send the messages randomly to promote narcotic substances. Consequently, and after investigating the matter, the Anti-Narcotics Directorate located and arrested the suspects while they were trying to put the drug in separate locations for delivery,” Al Daheri said. “The criminals were caught red-handed and were referred them to the judicial authorities,” he added.

Al Daheri said that many of the rings were run from outside the UAE. Their activities posed a major threat to the health and wellbeing of vulnerable youth, and it was therefore particularly important to bust the rings and arrest the dealers and suppliers, the official said.

To apprehend dealers working from outside the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Police has worked with the Federal Drug Control department at the Ministry of Interior, which had. In turn, coordinated with international authorities.