DUBAI, 18 October 2007 — Dubai Police have foiled a bid to smuggle 15 million dirhams worth of Captagon to Saudi Arabia.
The drugs were concealed in rolls of material used to make curtains and cushions. Police impounded 1.5 million pills weighing 285 kilos.
Captagon is the commercial name for the drug compound fenetyllene, a stimulant that is used to curb attention deficit disorders, traumatic brain injury and chronic fatigue.
The drug is a controlled substance in Saudi Arabia that is abused by young adults for its stimulating effects.
According to Brig. Khamis Al Muzeina, the police have arrested three Arab nationals from the Levant in connection with the crime.
Khamis, who is the director of the Criminal Intelligence Department at Dubai Police, said the drug consignment had arrived in the UAE via the Jebel Ali Port. The drugs, coming from another Arab country, were hidden so well that port authorities did not notice them.
One of the culprits received the shipment and moved it to a warehouse in the north of UAE, said Khamis.
After that, the culprit changed the stickers on the packages for re-export to the Kingdom. He then processed the paperwork for the consignment, but the authorities arrested him while the packages were being loaded.
Two other suspects were arrested at the same time. Dubai Police have issued an arrest warrant for the fourth culprit who is still in the country from where the shipment came.
Police did not name the country of origin.
