Operation Storm: Dubai Police busted Drugs worth AED 3.77 Bn

Dubai police successfully busted drugs smuggling into the state by conducting “Operation Storm”. A transnational criminal organization attempted to smuggle in millions of illegal Captagon pills. They used the country’s furniture manufacturing industry to brings drugs to Emirates.

Law enforcement officers discovered 86 million narcotic pills totaling 13.76 metric tonnes. The contraband was hidden in 651 doors and 432 home décor panels.

The police have revealed a documentary on how their anti-narcotics officers were able to achieve one of the biggest captagon raids in the world. As a result of Operation Storm, Dubai Police busted drugs worth AED 3.77 Bn and arrested six people.

Dubai Police’s Drugs Bust: As It Happened

Everything started when someone sent the authorities information about a cargo ship carrying five containers, each of which contained illegal substances. Police were working against the clock to determine the contents of these containers while also trying to conceal their activities.

Once the ship reached in Dubai port, the police seized the suspicious containers. When they were opened, Preliminary inspections did not raise any red flags. However, the police then scanned the furniture items — each weighing up to 200kg — which revealed “unidentified particles”. A police dog also confirmed the presence of drugs in the furniture equipment.

After that, the officers carefully cracked open the doors and furniture pieces in order to discover hundreds of rows of hidden tablets.

The authorities brought containers back to the dock and suspects apprehended red handed. At all times, law enforcement officials remained present at the port. Following the suspect’s application for the clearance of three of the containers, the suspect was taken into custody.

•إحباط تهريب أكثر من 13 طناً من أقراص الكبتاجون المخدرة موزعة في 5 حاويات.
•قيمتها السوقية تجاوزت الـ 3 مليارات درهم.
•العصابة الإجرامية حاولت تهريب المواد المخدرة عبر دسها في 651 باب و 432 لوح ديكور.
•ألقي القبض على أفراد العصابة الإجرامية الستة متلبسين.

أشكر الأخ الفريق… pic.twitter.com/8gXD1CD6iE

— سيف بن زايد آل نهيان (@SaifBZayed) September 14, 2023

A second group of investigators tracked the vehicles utilized to move two of the containers. Police detained a suspect as soon as he arrived at the location. They arrested another person from a storage facility located in a different emirate. The Police detained two remaining suspects at the dock until the other customs officials arrived to clear the other cargo.

The officers had to destroy the panels of the furniture pieces in order to get to the narcotics, which was a procedure that took “several days” to complete.

“The procedure required a significant amount of diligence and dedication. However, we had a solid belief that God was on our side and that our officers were capable of serving the nation in the best way possible,” according to one of the officers.