Ministry of Interior posts video of biggest UAE drug bust

A screengrab from the Ministry of the Interior video entitled ‘Wooden doors’.

ABU DHABI // The Minister of Interior on Thursday published on Twitter a video of a police sting on drug smugglers that uncovered 4.5 million narcotic pills with an estimated street value of Dh250 million.

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, announced the police operation, code-named Wooden Doors, which resulted in the discovery of the UAE’s biggest drug-smuggling case.

The video begins with police survelliance footage of two suspects at home in Al Ain in the daytime and at night.

As the video’s background music intensifies, the video shows two heavily tinted undercover police cars pull up to the suspects’ home in daylight.

Heavily armed officers then kick down the front door to find the first suspect, an Arab, in his pyjamas.

Amid the shouting and confronted by the armed officers, the suspect surrenders and is handcuffed. The second suspect, a fellow Arab, is also found and handcuffed.

In the house and in a warehouse in Al Ain, police discovered 4 million narcotic pills.

In Dubai, where 11,750 of such pills were found, police surveilled an SUV and arrested an Arab and an Arabian Gulf national said to be involved in the case. Four people were arrested in all.

The authorities said Sheikh Saif showed great interest in the police operation and followed the case personally.

The Ministry of Interior was tipped off by its counterpart in Kuwait.

The drugs were transported to the UAE through air cargo from a Middle Eastern country.

Abu Dhabi Police said the drugs were intended to be smuggled abroad.