Dubai Police have dismantled a drug trafficking ring before it could distribute a large narcotics shipment across the emirate, arresting 14 suspects in a coordinated operation announced this week. Investigators said the raid followed weeks of surveillance after intelligence pointed to an organised network preparing to move the consignment into local circulation.
Searches linked to the network turned up 113 cartons packed with a mix of controlled substances and misused medication, including Xanax, Tramadol and Lyrica tablets, Mydriacyl eye drops, crystal methamphetamine and marijuana. Authorities put the combined weight at 2.3 tonnes and estimated its street value at roughly Dh115 million, one of the larger hauls reported in the region so far this year.
Police described the arrests as part of a wider crackdown that has intensified in recent weeks. Just two days earlier, on September 30, customs officers intercepted 16.2 kilograms of crystal meth at a UAE land border crossing. In July, a separate operation led to the seizure of 278,850 Pregabalin pills — about 200 kilograms — and the arrest of four people.
Under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021, trafficking narcotics with intent to distribute can carry sentences up to life imprisonment, with capital punishment possible in the most serious cases. The case adds to a string of major narcotics seizures across the UAE this year, as authorities widen cooperation with regional partners to intercept shipments before they reach consumers. Dubai Police renewed calls for residents and visitors to report suspicious activity linked to drugs through official channels, saying that dismantling trafficking networks, both domestic and cross-border, remains a top security priority for the emirate.