Tens of thousands of narcotic pills that were being smuggled into the country illegally have been seized by authorities, the Ministry of Health reported.
The psychotropic drugs, of which 95 per cent are counterfeit, included tramadol, Tramal, Kemadrin, Artane, and Lyrica.
Dr Amin Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for medical practice and licensing at the ministry, said police seize between 10 and 20 shipments of psychoactive drugs on a monthly basis. Most are caught at the borders, though some are stopped at airports and through Central Post.
The smugglers have recently began using unconventional methods to smuggle controlled drugs into the country, using cargo expediters to order medicine online, Dr Al Amiri said.
He said that it is not allowed to buy medicine online in the UAE and that drug purchases can only be done through local or intentional companies registered with the ministry.
He said the UAE has intercepted many shipments of pills ordered online.
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