Police in Sharjah have made three arrests in connection with an elaborate plot to smuggle 226kg of illicit drugs stashed inside marble stones.
The force said it uncovered the plans – led by crime bosses based abroad – to ship the significant haul of hashish, psychotropic substances and other narcotics – into the emirate's ports before selling them on the streets of the UAE.
Sharjah Police's anti-narcotics team set up surveillance operations after being tipped off about the activities of the drug ring.
They identified the network's elaborate efforts to conceal the drugs and evade the detection of the police.
Three alleged members of the criminal enterprise were later arrested and the drugs seized.
The force shared video footage of the operation, in which large marble stones were loaded on a lorry before officers arrested the suspects.
Police did not reveal when the operation took place or any details on what legal action is being pursued.
Maj Gen Abdullah bin Amer, deputy commander in chief of Sharjah Police, praised the work of officers in preventing a significant supply of drugs from entering into circulation.
He said police would continue to take proactive steps to cut off smuggling routes and bring offenders to justice.
Sharjah Police called on members of the public to report those promoting drugs or any suspicions of criminal activity to them by calling 800 4654 or through email on dea@shjpolice.gov.ae.
Foiling smuggling operations
The drug seizure was the latest success for Sharjah Police in a crackdown on smugglers.
In October, the force prevented efforts to smuggle Dh14m of drugs into the emirate.
Officers confiscated 50kg of hashish, 49kg of liquid crystal meth and more than 1 million illegal pills, with 32 suspects arrested.
The shipment of drugs was smuggled through a seaport in the UAE, with plans to distribute it across the country.
In January, officers foiled an attempt to smuggle Dh800,000 of jewellery out of the country after a raid at a shop in the emirate.
Sharjah Police recovered the goods in a shipping container bound to leave the UAE.
The valuables had been stolen from a gold shop in Khor Fakkan.
Meanwhile, Dubai Customs officers exposed a plot to smuggle 235kg of hashish into the emirate on a dhow.
The team sent a version of an endoscope – an instrument with image sensors and lights more commonly used in medical procedures – to uncover the haul stashed in the wooden boat's cockpit on arrival at Deira Port.
The successful operation, announced in June, was one of 1,273 drug seizures at ports across the emirate carried out by the customs teams over the past year.
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