DUBAI: Acting on a tip-off from their Dubai counterparts, South African police foiled a bid to smuggle 33 kilos of pure heroin with an estimated street value of 2.3 million dirhams into the country.
Brig. Abdul Jaleel Mahdi, director of the General Department of Combating Narcotics, said South African police were tipped off about the drugs after an anti-narcotics officer at Dubai International Airport became suspicious of a package destined for South Africa from an Asian country.
“After confirming that the package contained heroin, our team contacted our counterparts in South Africa and allowed the package to pass through the airport. The police there were waiting for the owner of the package to collect it and promptly arrested him. During interrogation, the suspect admitted he was expecting another package of narcotics to be delivered to him,” said Mahdi.
It is one of the biggest drug-smuggling cases foiled by the newly launched General Department of Combating Narcotics, which started operations last month. The department, which was previously part of the Criminal Intelligence Department of Dubai Police, was separated because of the need to handle a growing number of drug-related crimes.
The rising number of drug users in the Arab world in general and in the Gulf region in particular prompted the establishment of the department, which is also tasked with raising awareness about drug abuse among the youth.
