DUBAI: Police have intercepted a large shipment of a chemical compound used to produce heroin. Four tons of acetic hydride were being smuggled in 20 barrels hidden in containers through Jebel Ali port. The shipment was to be sent to a fabric trading company in a neighboring country.
According to the Director of the Department for Combating Narcotics, Mak. Gen. Abdul Jalil Mahdi, the chemicals had been smuggled from South Korea. He said it was the most audacious attempt to smuggle illegal chemicals into the UAE.
"Our department was tipped off about the shipment and we immediately took action. When our forensics laboratory carried out tests it determined that the chemicals were acetic hydride," he said.
No one was arrested, as those behind the operation were not present when the chemicals were being shipped.
"What we did was halt the smuggling operation in collaboration with the Interior Ministry and Interpol," he said.
