DUBAI // Drugs officers have arrested four gang members suspected of being involved in trafficking narcotics, and another suspect in a separate operation.
More than 6kg of hashish, an undetermined amount of heroin and more than 11,000 tramadol pills were confiscated.
Tramadol is a mild opiate that, in proper uses, treats ailments such as restless leg syndrome.
Two of the gang members were GCC citizens and the other two were brothers and stateless, according to Maj Gen Abdel Jalil Mahdi, the director of the Dubai Police Anti-Narcotics Department.
The police were informed by a source that the first suspect, AA, a GCC citizen, was in possession of a large amount of pills, according to Maj Gen Mahdi.
"The arrest took place as AA met with three other gang members at an Al Qusais restaurant," he said.
Interrogations revealed that the suspects, AN, AH and OH, bought the narcotics to divide for later distribution.
AN, a GCC citizen, said that they collected the drugs, which included heroin and three large bags of narcotic pills, at a drop point in the Dubai to Ras al Khaimah road.
"He said that they went with the two brothers who used their father's car to collect the narcotics and added that the deal was made with an Asian narcotics dealer who resided out of the country," Maj Gen Mahdi said.
Forensic tests confirmed that the brothers had consumed some drugs, but police did not specify the type.
In a separate operation this month, Maj Gen Mahdi said they received a tip-off about a suspect claiming that he was intending to sell a large quantity of drugs.
The suspect, SA, was found residing in his family house in Al Muhaisna, north of Dubai.
On the night of the arrest, SA was followed from his family house to his own residence in the same district.
"During the raid we found the suspect to have hidden the narcotics in peculiar places in his home," the Maj Gen said.
"We recovered on his person a number of tramadol pills and then found him hiding inside of the toilets a burlap sack, which contained the hashish and the narcotic pills," he said. "I would like to express my appreciation for the members of the public who aided in these arrests and acted in a sincere manner to eradicate these poisons from our country."
