UAE and global alliance seize $750m of drugs in major operation

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, praised international efforts to battle drug trafficking

More than 55 tonnes of narcotics were seized in a global operation. Photo: International Security Alliance

A global crime-fighting coalition – including the UAE – seized more than 55 tonnes of drugs valued at $750m and made 597 arrests in a two-month operation.

The International Security Alliance, which includes the UAE, Bahrain, Senegal, Morocco, Spain, Israel, Italy, Slovakia, Singapore, France and the Netherlands, joined forces with The Police Community of the Americas, Ameripol. The operation aimed to target gangs smuggling drugs across parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In total, 22 countries were involved in the major campaign to disrupt sophisticated drug networks between April and June.

Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, hailed the efforts of global police forces to take drugs off the streets.

He thanked ISA and Ameripol for “their promotion of international efforts to combat this dangerous scourge at the global level, as partners in the safety of our societies,” in a message on Twitter on Monday.

The campaign targeted transnational drug trafficking networks and involved monitoring air, land and sea routes used by the gangs.

Footage shared by the alliance showed special forces teams from around the world carrying out key arrests and capturing large hauls of drugs.

The footage also showed drugs hidden in watermelons as part of elaborate efforts to evade detection and flood international markets with illicit substances.

It said the arrests were made in "different countries", without specifying the number involved.

The ISA was established in 2017 with the goal of bolstering global peace, security, and stability of its member states and other nations around the world.