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28 March 2024

Abu Dhabi seizes 400 kg of hashish worth Dh16m

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By Staff

Abu Dhabi counter-narcotics squads seized nearly 400 kg of hashish and arrested two Asian dealers trying to smuggle the stuff worth nearly Dh16 million to a nearby Gulf country in an operation that coincided with the UN International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Nearly half the drugs were seized in Abu Dhabi while the rest was busted in a rented apartment in Dubai, they said.

The two dealers, both truck drivers, were arrested after putting up tough resistance against police men raiding their hideout.

“As the UAE was celebrating that International Day, the counter-drug squads succeeded in arresting the drug dealing gang and seizing all the stuff,” said Brigadier Omair Al Muhairi, deputy director of police operations.

Another police officer told reporters that the drugs have a wholesale value of around Dhfour million but it retails for as much as Dh16 million.

Anti-narcotics teams moved against the two dealers after receiving reliable information they possess a large quantity of drugs and are trying to smuggle it to a neighboring Gulf country, said Rashid Bursheed, director of the detectives and criminal investigation department in Abu Dhabi.

He said the two dealers, AM, 43, and DF, 30, had been watched by counter-drugs squads for a long time before they were raided.

“After obtaining the necessary legal permission, our men moved and arrested the two who put up tough resistance against the police men in a successful trap…our men also seized 400 kg of hashish,” he told the Arabic language daily Alittihad.

“Nearly half the amount was concealed expertly in 100-kg crates hidden in Abu Dhabi while the rest was hidden in plastic barrels at a rented flat in Dubai.”