Sharjah Police seize six marijuana plants being grown in apartment

Building supervisor alerted police after carrying out maintenance on air conditioning units

Six marijuana plants were found in a Sharjah apartment. UAE PP

Sharjah Police have arrested a group of men after six marijuana plants were found in their apartment in the emirate.

Authorities were alerted to the apartment when the building's supervisor observed some plants resembling drug plants while conducting maintenance work on the air conditioning units.

The supervisor informed the police who, on arrival, found a fully equipped tent nursery used preserve the plants.

Officers confiscated the plants and arrested the occupants of the apartment. The number of people taken into custody was not disclosed.

Police also seized materials and tools used to make drugs and psychotropic substances.

The men were referred to prosecutors who charged them with growing marijuana with the intent to sell or distribute.

Under UAE’s anti-drug laws, the accused could face the death penalty if convicted.

The arrests follow a series of major drug seizures by Sharjah Police in recent months.

Earlier this month, the force arrested seven men accused of using delivery riders to distribute drugs and confiscated 7.6kg of crystal meth and 494g of hashish.

Police, who had the gang under surveillance, said it was unlikely the riders had any knowledge of the goods they were transporting.

In April, Sharjah Police officers intercepted a massive haul of 120kg of hashish and three million Captagon tablets, with a market value of more than Dh23.5 million.

They arrested 24 people involved in a large drug trafficking network.