The UAE National Anti-Drug Agency announced the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle 200,000 Captagon pills and more than 30 kilograms of drugs into the UAE, and the dismantling of an international criminal network comprising 20 suspects of Gulf, Arab, African, and Asian nationalities, with assistance from Iraq.
The agency clarified in a statement seen by the News Video Agency that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the General Command of Ras Al Khaimah Police and the General Directorate for Drug Affairs and Psychotropic Substances of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, with judicial coordination with the UAE Public Prosecution.
It pointed out that the seized items included, in addition to the Captagon pills, various quantities of cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, hashish, and spice, which the network was attempting to smuggle through one of the border areas in Ras Al Khaimah Emirate, in preparation for promoting them within the state.
The details of the operation began with the exchange of intelligence information between the relevant authorities in the UAE and the Republic of Iraq, revealing a scheme by a multinational criminal network to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the state.
The agency added that, in light of this information, the National Anti-Drug Agency, in collaboration with the relevant authorities, developed a tight security plan that resulted in thwarting the smuggling operation and apprehending several network members caught in possession of drugs and attempting to smuggle them, while the remaining suspects were arrested within the state through ambushes executed by security teams.