Related: Captagon crisis and the Middle East's war on drugs
Dubai Customs have seized large quantities of narcotics in a double operation at ports in the emirate.
In operation Double Strike, officers from Sea Customs Centres Management at Dubai Customs seized 32.8 million narcotic pills which were found hidden in a shipment of food and medical equipment, having come from an Asian country.
Inspectors — using smart customs submarines — also seized 1.2 million Captagon pills, weighing 227kg at Deira Wharfage Customs Centre. The Captagon pills had also come from an Asian country.
The estimated value of the pills seized in each haul was not revealed.
Captagon is widely viewed as the most in-demand narcotic in the Middle East.
On Monday, Abu Dhabi arrested a man who allegedly tried to smuggle 4.5 million Captagon tablets in cans of green beans. Police said the suspect planned to transport the huge haul of illicit drugs to a neighbouring Middle Eastern country.
Last month, Dubai Police thwarted three criminal operations aimed at selling 111kg of drugs with an estimated value of Dh32 million. About 99kg of the drugs haul was made up of Captagon valued at about Dh31 million.
