Dubai Police catch seven-man crew who tried to smuggle 5kg of drugs in stomachs

Some of the men were being used as drug mules, to bring heroin and methamphetamine into the country.

DUBAI // Seven Asian men have been arrested in the past three months for smuggling into the UAE more than five kilos of drugs in their stomachs, Dubai Police said.

Maj Gen Khalil Al Mansouri, of the Criminal Investigation Department, said that six of the men were of the same nationality, while the seventh was from a different Asian country.

“The seventh suspect was arrested in a hotel in Naif in September for smuggling and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute,” he said. “The police seized 49 capsules weighing approximately 568 grams, which the suspect smuggled into the UAE from his home country.”

Col Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, director of the anti-narcotics department at Dubai Police, said the other six men were arrested in two separate operations.

“The six men possessed in total 433 capsulate of heroin, weighing approximately 3.183 kilos,” he said. “The police raided the home of the first suspect, S B A, 36, who works at a contracting company in Al Khawaneej.”

S B A was found with the second suspect, K M Y, 40, who together possessed 71 heroin capsules weighing 557.5 grams.

“Of the 71 capsules, some were found inside the home of the first suspect, while the rest were seized at the hospital after being extracted from the second suspect,” said Col Hareb.

He added that the first suspect would greet smugglers at his home, where he would gather the drugs to transport to Saudi Arabia upon the instructions of an overseas dealer.

The four other suspects were arrested after Dubai Police ambushed them on Emirates Road.

“The four men were headed to the home of one of the suspects, S K A, 19, in Al Ain,” Col Hareb said, adding that S K A used his home as a den to shelter drug smugglers.

“Police found in the home 143 heroin capsules weighing approximately 1.92 kilos,” said Col Hareb.

S K A admitted to housing dealers and smuggling drugs based on the instructions of a person who lived abroad.

Other suspects included 18-year-old F K A, 22-year-old S A S and 37-year-old J A A, who were involved in the logistics of drug smuggling and transportation.