Ras Al Khaimah Police have carried out a campaign against suspected drug dealers.
Raids by the force’s anti-narcotics department resulted in 185 arrests and the confiscation of nearly 429 kilograms of drugs, including 72,000 tablets, last year.
Arrests were made with help from other local police forces. Police said by using advanced technology, they were able to trace suspects who promoted drugs on social media.
WhatsApp text and voice messages that were detected by officers offered links to hashish, crystal methamphetamine and gabapentin, an anti-anxiety medicine sold under the brand name Lyrica.
Dealers sold each ten grams of hashish for Dh400 and charged the same amount for five grams of crystal meth, a video by the force showed.
The footage shows a conversation between a drug dealer and a potential buyer.
“All is available,” the dealer is heard saying.
Suspects were found and their movements kept under surveillance.
The video shows officers as they remove drugs that were stashed in a washing machine during one of the raids.
“This is the outcome of the dedication and efficiency of the work team assigned to these tasks,” said Colonel Ibrahim Jassim Al Tunaiji, head of the Anti-Narcotics Department.
He said they will continue to work with police forces at home and abroad to foil drug smuggling.
The senior officer urged families to supervise their children and monitor any behavioural changes that may signal they were using drugs.
“Families play a major role in protecting children from falling victims to drug addiction,” he said.
“That is by raising children’s awareness, knowing their friends, and monitoring their behaviour.”
He said educational institutions and youth clubs are also responsible and need to keep youngsters occupied — especially during the summer break.
The Gulf's war on captagon: in pictures
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According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, trafficking in amphetamines has increased in the Middle East in recent years. Photo: Dubai Customs -
Specially trained K-9 units are often used by border forces to intercept shipments. EPA -
Experts believe the amount intercepted accounts for only around a tenth of the total quantity of pills being smuggled out of places like Syria and Jordan. EPA -
Dubai Customs thwarted 398 attempts to smuggle drugs into the city in the first three months of this year. Photo: Dubai Customs -
Captagon pills on display after being seized in Greece in 2019. EPA -
Captagon became synonymous with the Syrian Civil War. AFP -
The small, off-white pills have quickly become one of the most widely consumed drugs in the Middle East. EPA -
Millions of Captagon pills are seized around the world each year. EPA -
Captagon pills on display after a major interception of a shipment in 2009. Nicole Hill / The National -
Customs officers say Captagon smugglers prefer to use sea ports rather than airports because of the size of shipping containers, enabling them to conceal larger quantities of drugs. Photo: Dubai Customs
