The banned substances — 45,500 narcotic pills — were being smuggled by a crew member who wanted to deliver them to a drug dealer.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has foiled two separate bids to smuggle a total of 125,000 narcotic pills — one onboard a ship arriving at Sharjah Creek and the other at a UAE land border point.
Colonel Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Anti-Narcotics Federal Directorate at the MOI, said the first bust was made based on a tip-off.
“The banned substances — 45,500 narcotic pills — were being smuggled by a crew member who wanted to deliver them to a drug dealer,” said Al Suwaidi, adding that the federal anti-drugs unit and Sharjah Police successfully apprehended all those involved.
He said the second attempt was intercepted after police gathered intelligence on a gang of drug dealers involved in an attempt to smuggle 80,000 narcotic substances to the country through Dibba Al Hosn border in Sharjah. A joint effort involving the Directorate General for Drug Control, Federal, Sharjah and Dubai police forces, and in cooperation with the General Department for Combating drugs and Psychotropic Substances in Oman, resulted in the arrest of suspects.
