In a major drug bust, police in the United Arab Emirates discovered 13 tonnes of amphetamine pills, known as Captagon, hidden inside furniture. The operation resulted in the seizure of drugs valued at more than $1 million (£810 million).
Following a tip about a dubious shipping container, Dubai police officers found 86 million pills hidden inside wooden panels and doors. Captagon, commonly known as “the poor man’s cocaine”, has increased in popularity among the youth of the Gulf region.
Although police did not specify the origin of the illicit shipment, the drug is mainly produced in Syria. During Syria’s tumultuous civil war, Captagon became a favorite stimulant for combatants, and due to growing poverty, many Syrians turned to the lucrative Captagon trade.
Footage released by Dubai Police highlights officers closely monitoring suspicious shipping containers, tracking down potential culprits and painstakingly dismantling 651 doors and 432 wooden panels to gain access to hidden drugs.
According to Major General Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, head of the anti-narcotics department, an international syndicate intended to move the drugs to another nation through the United Arab Emirates using these containers. Techniques such as X-ray machines and canine units were instrumental in exposing this important drug cache.
This operation culminated in the arrest of six people.
This article is sourced from and written by AI.
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