DUBAI: Cooperation between the police forces of Saudi Arabia and Dubai has resulted in the biggest seizure of Captagon in UAE history.
The narcotics, some 4.2 million Captagon pills, were hidden in rolls of fabric and were meant for Saudi Arabia. The drugs were to be sold to dealers for 20 million dirhams but the street value might have been as high as 50 million dirhams. The anti-narcotics department said it had arrested an Arab national in connection with the discovery of the drugs.
Announcing the drug seizure at a press conference, Maj. Gen. Abdul Jalil Mahdi, said that the police had received information that a container in one of the Dubai ports held a huge amount of drugs.
Mahdi, who is the director of the General Department of Anti-Narcotics, said the shipment had traveled through two Arab countries before arriving in Dubai. He said the police were not yet sure where the pills were manufactured. “We cannot say if they were manufactured in an Arab country as we are still waiting for the UN laboratory report,” he said.
According to Mahdi, the drugs were stored in a warehouse in Dubai. “The suspect worked alone in removing the pill packets from the fabric rolls and stored them in boxes for shipment to Saudi Arabia. The accused worked alone because he was very suspicious and wary of his activities being exposed.
However, Mahdi said the suspect was only following orders and was only one of many links in the syndicate.
He said the suspect’s testimony would be used to prosecute the masterminds in their home countries. He did not elaborate further on where the masterminds were from. He thanked the Saudi police for their cooperation.
