Nine men who sought to sell more than one million anti-anxiety pills were arrested by Sharjah Police, who also seized the drugs, which were worth more than Dh15 million ($4.1m).
Police were tipped off about the men's illegal activities and found they had been attempting to sell the smuggled Xanax to a group of dealers in the UAE.
A team, led by Lt Col Majid Al Azem, director of the Sharjah Police Narcotics Control Department, intercepted communications between the gang, from Asia, and the dealers and tracked them down.
Lt Col Al Azem said the operation, called Lightening Force, was carried out within 24 hours.
The gang were arrested at their accommodation, where police also found the drugs.
During police questioning, each of the men admitted to smuggling the drugs into the country with a plan to divide and store the Xanax across the Emirates before it could be sold.
Lt Col Al Azem called on the public to report any suspicious activity by calling 8004654 or sending an email to dea@shjpolice.gov.ae.
"Residents can do their part in preventing such crimes and keep their communities safe by co-operating with police," he said.
The date of the drugs raid was not disclosed by Sharjah Police.
