ABU DHABI // Nine drug smugglers were arrested and 13 kilograms of heroin and 34,000 pills were seized in five separate operations by anti-narcotics teams from the UAE and Oman.
Col Saeed Al Suwaidi, head of the anti-narcotics federal directorate general at the Ministry of Interior, said the raids, which took place last month and February, dealt a severe blow to drug traffickers and underlined the success of cross-border cooperation with counterparts in Oman.
Col Al Suwaidi said the teams received information from Oman which led the smugglers to abort two attempts by two Arab and African suspects to smuggle 12.5kg of heroin into the emirates of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain.
A consignment of about 2,500 narcotic pills was also seized in UAQ.
In the third and fourth operations, he said, two African women were arrested for possessing 500 grams of heroin, while 22,500 narcotic tablets were seized in Dubai.
Three Arab suspects were apprehended.
In the final operation, which took place in Ras Al Khaimah, 9,000 tablets were confiscated from two Arab and African suspects.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
