MM News

DUBAI: The UAE authorities seized half a tonne of cocaine worth more than 500 million dirhams ($136 million) on Sunday, in one of the biggest drug busts in the Gulf country.

In a statement, Dubai police said officers “recently thwarted a smuggling attempt of 500 kilogrammes of pure cocaine into the country”. “The narcotics, worth more than 500 million dirhams ($136 million) in street value, were well-hidden within the structure of a cargo container.”

Police said they foiled the smuggling attempt after receiving a tip about a cargo container carrying the contraband through a seaport. In the operation dubbed “Scorpion”, a suspect of Middle Eastern origin was arrested. Police described the man as an intermediary for an international drug syndicate.

“Once the shipment arrived, the suspect transported the illegal drugs to another emirate and stored them in a warehouse with the aim of selling and promoting the harmful toxins,” said Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, director of the Anti-Narcotics Department.

Dubai Police shared footage of the swoop and vowed to “strike with an iron fist” anyone who tried to compromise the country’s security. The drugs were stashed inside a cargo container and shipped to Dubai. It added that security officers raided the warehouse and caught the man “red-handed”.

The United Arab Emirates has a zero-tolerance policy towards drug possession. Drug smugglers face possible death sentences in the UAE but in practice, executions are rare.

In March, a French drug dealer known as “the ghost” who became an international kingpin, was arrested in Dubai travelling under a false identity after ten years on the run.

Moufide “Mouf” Bouchibi, 41, eluded French detectives for more than a decade and rose through the narcotics ranks from Parisian street dealer to global trafficker. He imported 60 tonnes of cannabis to Europe every year, pocketing annual takings of 70 million euros.

In August, one of Italy’s most wanted men, who is sought over the sales of two stolen Van Gogh paintings on the black market, was also arrested in Dubai. Police said they raided the home of Raffaele Imperiale on July 30. He is alleged to be a drugs kingpin of Naples’ feared Camorra organised crime syndicate. Valuables including cash and paintings were seized in the raid.