UAE: Sharjah police launch massive drug bust; gang arrested with AED23.5m worth of drugs – News

The anti-narcotics team, in cooperation with Dubai and Ajman police, arrested a gang of 24 Arab and Asian nationals

Sharjah police recently arrested a gang of 24 Arab and Asian nationals in possession of 120 kilograms of cannabis and 3 million Captagon pills, estimated to be worth more than Dh23.5 million on the market.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (April 26), Lieutenant Colonel Majid Al-Assam, head of Sharjah Police’s anti-narcotics unit, said the unit had two specific security operations through which they could crack down on the organized gang. The two operations are believed to be among the largest drug seizures in the UAE.

According to Al-Assam, initially, the anti-narcotics agency received information that a group of people, especially Asians, had obtained large quantities of narcotic pills for distribution in the UAE. The operation was planned in cooperation with individuals from abroad.

He added that Sharjah Police’s anti-narcotics team began their operation by monitoring the suspects and devising an elaborate ambush plan to arrest them and their accomplices.

With the cooperation and coordination of the federal joint team represented by Dubai Police and Ajman Police, members of the gang were arrested one after another.

Investigations revealed that the suspect had received instructions from someone living abroad. The accused worked on the person’s instructions and planned to market pills and narcotics stockpiled in various emirates.

In cooperation with Dubai Police, the team seized 3,000,000 tablets of Captagon stored in one of the containers.

Lt Col Al-Assam added that at the same time, the second team was monitoring another gang active in the possession and promotion of marijuana. The operation was carried out in cooperation with the Ajman Police and 120kg of cannabis was seized.

When confronted face-to-face, the accused admitted to stockpiling and selling narcotics. Accordingly, the accused and the seized items were handed over to the competent authorities for the necessary legal measures.