UAE police unveils drug smuggling network involving Canada, Spain, seizes 131KG of narcotics
According to UAE officials, 131 kilograms of narcotics and psychotropic substances were seized by the police on their way to the UAE from Toronto, Canada.
A drug smuggling operation involving Canada, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was thwarted by the Sharjah Police in the UAE, the Interior Ministry of the Emirates published on Friday.
According to Emirati officials, 131 kilograms of narcotics and psychotropic substances were seized by the police on their way to the UAE from Toronto, Canada.
“From Toronto to Spain, reaching the shores of the country, the General Command of Sharjah Police – through a sophisticated and meticulous security operation – succeeded in dismantling an international criminal network involved in smuggling and trafficking narcotics,” they published on their official X/Twitter account.
Seven suspects were arrested in total, with one of them said to have used his wife and kids as part of the scheme to smuggle the drugs into the country.
Alongside him were five people of Asian origin who were involved in related to receiving, trafficking, and distributing the drugs inside the UAE, according to the Emirati police.
Three of the seven smugglers arrested in the UAE. (credit: UAE Interior Ministry/Screenshot)
The Interior Ministry also reported that the operation was made thanks to the collaboration of police and intelligence officials.
A drug smuggling network that went from Canada to the Middle East
“The case began with the monitoring of one of the Arab suspects who frequently visited the country with his family, where his movements and organized meetings with local elements were tracked,” said the Emirati report.
Once the suspect was identified, an ambush was planned by the anti-narcotics officials, who managed to uncover the network and apprehend its members successively.
“Intelligence information led to the discovery of a maritime smuggling route linking the port of Toronto in Canada to the port of Malaga in Spain,” Emirati authorities added.
In total, 131 kilograms of narcotics and psychotropic substances were seized by the Police, alongside another 9,945 capsules of narcotic drugs.
