Dopey dealers hid drugs in Dubai gas cylinders: Exposed by blast

An explosion in a Dubai apartment exposed drug smugglers on Saturday.

Three Asian suspects smuggled in four cooking gas cylinders stuffed with shabu (crystal methamphetamine) via sea and hid them in Al Marar area.

While they were at extractibg drugs from the cylinder, a minor mistake by one of the suspects resulted in the cylinders exploding.

Major-General Abdul Jalil Mahdi Al Asmawi, Director, Anti-Narcotics Department, said one of the suspects was in a hurry to open the fourth cylinder after having extracted drugs from the first three. He cut open the fourth cylinder with electric sissors before ensuring the room was free of gas released from the previous three cylinders.

The blast left several cracks in the walls of the apartment apart from serious material damage. The suspect who was responsible for the blast also suffered burns but he manage to flee the scene before cops arrived.

Deputy Colonel Khaled Saleh Al Kawari said the suspects had professionally assembled the cylinders and so it went unnoticed.

They allegedly filled the upper part of the cyliners with cooking gas and divided the lower half into compartments and filled them with large amounts of crystal methamphetamine.

About 32.4kg of crystal methamphetamine which did not burn up in the explosion were seized from the apartment.

One of the men - a 44-year-old married man - was arrested immediatley from Hor Al Anz area. He admitted to transferring the cylinders from Sharjah to the apartment in Dubai.

Two others were arrested from Sharjah by a search team. The second suspect is a married businessman, who sufferred burn in juries. He was initially taken to Rashid Hospital by cops for treatment.

The third suspect - a 38-year-old employee - is held under criminal conspiracy charges fro sheltering the second suspect with complete knowledge that he was felling after a criminal act.

The trio has been referred to the Public Prosecution.

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