UAE foils bid to smuggle 200,000 Captagon pills and over 30 kg of narcotics, dismantles international network of 20 suspects

The National Drug Enforcement Authority, in cooperation with Ras Al Khaimah Police, Dubai Police, Sharjah Police, Ajman Police, and Iraq's General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, and in judicial coordination with the UAE Public Prosecution, has foiled an attempt to smuggle 200,000 Captagon pills and more than 30 kilogrammes of narcotics into the UAE, dismantling an international criminal network involving 20 suspects of Gulf, Arab, African and Asian nationalities.

The seized narcotics included cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, hashish and synthetic cannabinoids (Spice), in addition to Captagon pills. The network had planned to smuggle the substances through a border area in Ras Al Khaimah for distribution within the country. 

The operation began with intelligence shared between relevant UAE and Iraqi authorities, which uncovered a plot by a multinational criminal network to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the country. 

Acting on the intelligence, the National Drug Enforcement Authority, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, developed a coordinated security plan that foiled the smuggling attempt. Several members of the network were caught in possession of the narcotics while attempting to smuggle them into the country, while the remaining suspects were arrested in separate ambushes carried out by security teams across the UAE. 

The authority said the operation dealt a significant blow to narcotics trafficking networks, stressing that drug dealers would find no safe haven in the UAE and that anyone attempting to undermine the country's security or endanger public safety would face justice. 

It said the operation demonstrated the readiness and advanced capabilities of UAE security agencies in surveillance, investigations and tracking criminal networks, as well as the effectiveness of security and judicial cooperation and intelligence-sharing with regional partners in combating cross-border narcotics trafficking. 

The authority reaffirmed its commitment to combating narcotics and pursuing drug smuggling and trafficking networks. 

It also urged the public to cooperate with the relevant authorities and report suspicious activities, emphasising that cooperation between communities and security agencies is essential to protecting society from the dangers of drugs. 

WAM