UAE arrests 13-member gang, seizes over 56,000kg of drugs worth Dh3.3 million

The National Anti-Narcotics Agency in the UAE announced that it had successfully carried out a joint operation with the Dubai, Sharjah and Bahrain Police, which lasted for a month, resulting in the arrest of a criminal gang consisting of 13 defendants of Asian and African nationalities, led by an Asian drug dealer from outside the country, specialising in promoting narcotic substances.

The agency explained that, in cooperation with the security services in Bahrain, the leader of the criminal gang was arrested outside the country and brought to the UAE to be brought to justice and to receive the appropriate punishment. It noted that the operation lasted a month and followed thorough searches, investigations, and field surveillance, during which the work teams monitored the accused's movements and their coordination. The investigations showed that they received instructions from a drug dealer outside the country to distribute quantities of drugs in different areas of the country.

The National Anti-Narcotics Agency stated that the total weight of the seized narcotic substances amounted to 56,623 kilograms of narcotic substances, in addition to 8,159 tablets of psychotropic narcotic substances, and a large quantity of electronic cigarettes filled with hashish oil, with a total value of approximately 3,300,000 dirhams, stressing that it will continue its efforts to enhance the protection and security of society from this dangerous scourge.

The agency confirmed that this operation comes within a comprehensive national strategy aimed at drying up the sources of drug trafficking, and not being satisfied with pursuing the promoters inside the country, but rather reaching the main elements that manage the criminal networks from abroad and trying to harm the security of the United Arab Emirates and the stability of its society.

He explained that regional and international cooperation is a fundamental pillar in confronting these transnational crimes, noting that continuous coordination with sister and friendly police and security agencies has enabled the tracking down of cell members and monitoring their movements, thereby thwarting their criminal plans and bringing those involved to justice.

The National Anti-Narcotics Agency stressed that it possesses the legal frameworks and operational capabilities that enable it to take the necessary measures against drug traffickers who run criminal networks from outside the country, in order to ensure the protection of society and deter anyone who dares to target the UAE and its people with this dangerous scourge.