Sharjah: Authorities here have foiled two separate attempts by three drug smugglers to traffic in a large amount of narcotic substances, said Brigadier Mohammad Rashid Bayat, director of Sharjah Police Operations.
Police and customs efforts netted 20 kilograms of hashish, 1,300 Tramadol pills and 50 grams of crystal meth.
The suspects, including one man and two women, were arrested in two separate operations.
The seizure of such a large quantity of drugs is expected to make a large dent in the underground market of illicit substances in the region, police said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Majid Al Asam, director of the police’s Anti-Narcotics Department, said in the first case, police received information about a man who worked for a drug dealer based outside the country and his intention to traffic in narcotic substances in the UAE.
Police raided the suspect’s home after they verified the accuracy of the tipoff.
Police confiscated 14.5kg of hashish and 1,300 Tramadol pills which were found concealed inside the inner covers of his two suitcases.
During questioning, the suspect confessed that he had been working for a drug dealer based outside the UAE.
The suspect has been referred to the Public Prosecution for further action.
In less than 48 hours after the first operation, customs inspectors at Khalid Port detected 5.89kg of hashish and more than 50 grams of crystal meth when two women tried to smuggle them into the UAE via a vessel coming from an Asian country.
The two women had hidden the narcotic substances in 23 rolls in the inner covers of their suitcases.
The women were arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution.
