DUBAI // Three Syrian men have been arrested for trying to smuggle more than 17 million Captagon pills through the UAE, making it this year’s largest bust of drug capsules.
Dubai Police chief Maj Gen Khamis Al Muzeina said two of the suspects, H M M and M R, were arrested in the country. The third, A S A, was caught by Saudi Arabian authorities while trying to cross the border. “There is a fourth suspect, A A, who is abroad, but we are dealing with the relevant authorities to extradite him,” Gen Al Muzeina said.
He said the police received information that there was a shipment of the amphetamine Captagon coming in, and the anti-narcotics department and Dubai Customs tracked it to Jebel Ali Port.
Gen Al Muzeina said it was discovered that a similar shipment had arrived in Ajman and the first suspect, H M M, was identified. He admitted to storing the drugs in a warehouse near the Chinese Market in Ajman.
He also had 14 tramadol pills in his possession at the time of arrest.
“H M M said he was introduced to a man, A A, while he was abroad in another Arab country and they agreed that A A would transport the Captagon pills to the UAE,” said Gen Al Muzeina.
“Once the deal was made, the first suspect recruited his friend A S A, who in turn recruited a relative, M R, and decided they would split the money.”
He said that Abu Dhabi Police helped to arrest M R, who lived in the capital.
Gen Al Muzeina said the authorities found 7.5 million Captagon pills in the warehouse in Ajman and 10.2 million in Jebel Ali Port.
“Those pills were not meant to stay in the UAE but were headed to a Gulf country,” he said.
“We are thankful for the efforts of Dubai Customs, Ajman and Abu Dhabi police, as well as the Saudi Arabian authorities for helping us catch the suspects, who are accused of a very serious crime.
“We are happy to know that these drugs that ruin people’s lives are now off the streets.”
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
The%20specs
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The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
Schedule
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
