Dubai Police foil plot to sell 40kgs of drugs in the UAE

The Dubai Police have foiled a plot by an international criminal gang to sell 40kgs of crystal drug in the UAE, Lieutenant-General Abdullah Khalifa Al-Marri, commander-in-chief of the force, confirmed on Saturday, October 31.

Teams from the Dubai Police arrested the cousin of the gang’s mastermind and another suspect, in an operation dubbed the “Black Bag”, named after the bag they used to use to transport the narcotics.

The “Black Bag” operation started after the police received information about the presence of a gang in the country consisting of two Asians seeking to sell drugs among youth. The mastermind ran the drug operation from his homeland, reported official news agency WAM.

The police obtained permission from the Dubai Public Prosecution to intercept and arrest the criminals in the UAE.

“The two Asian men were placed under surveillance so as to arrest them red-handed, as the two used to change the place of drugs several times in different areas,” said Brigadier General Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, director of the Anti-Narcotics General Directorate at the Dubai Police, adding that the duo was placed under a 24 hour surveillance prior to their arrest.

Hareb said that the police team intercepted the gang while they were transporting the drugs in a vehicle. The suspects admitted that they were delivering the narcotics to another person whose name would be revealed to them by their boss.

Read: Video: Dubai Police reveal details about largest-ever drug haul in the UAE

In 2019, the Dubai Police confirmed that it had dealt with around 2,051 drug-related case, arrested 3,128 suspects and seized 1,569kg of illegal drugs and nearly 14.8 million narcotic pills.

The UAE has zero-tolerance for drug-related offences with severe penalties handed out for drug trafficking and possession.