Dubai Customs seize 33 million narcotic pills in huge Jebel Ali bust

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, trafficking in amphetamines has increased in the Middle East in recent years. Photo: Dubai Customs

Specially trained K-9 units are often used by border forces to intercept shipments. EPA

Experts believe the amount intercepted accounts for only around a tenth of the total quantity of pills being smuggled out of places like Syria and Jordan. EPA

Dubai Customs thwarted 398 attempts to smuggle drugs into the city in the first three months of this year. Photo: Dubai Customs

Captagon pills on display after being seized in Greece in 2019. EPA

Captagon became synonymous with the Syrian Civil War. AFP

The small, off-white pills have quickly become one of the most widely consumed drugs in the Middle East. EPA

Millions of Captagon pills are seized around the world each year. EPA

Captagon pills on display after a major interception of a shipment in 2009. Nicole Hill / The National

Customs officers say Captagon smugglers prefer to use sea ports rather than airports because of the size of shipping containers, enabling them to conceal larger quantities of drugs. Photo: Dubai Customs

Related: Captagon crisis and the Middle East's war on drugs

Dubai Customs have seized large quantities of narcotics in a double operation at ports in the emirate.

In operation Double Strike, officers from Sea Customs Centres Management at Dubai Customs seized 32.8 million narcotic pills which were found hidden in a shipment of food and medical equipment, having come from an Asian country.

Inspectors — using smart customs submarines — also seized 1.2 million Captagon pills, weighing 227kg at Deira Wharfage Customs Centre. The Captagon pills had also come from an Asian country.

The estimated value of the pills seized in each haul was not revealed.

Captagon is widely viewed as the most in-demand narcotic in the Middle East.

On Monday, Abu Dhabi arrested a man who allegedly tried to smuggle 4.5 million Captagon tablets in cans of green beans. Police said the suspect planned to transport the huge haul of illicit drugs to a neighbouring Middle Eastern country.

Last month, Dubai Police thwarted three criminal operations aimed at selling 111kg of drugs with an estimated value of Dh32 million. About 99kg of the drugs haul was made up of Captagon valued at about Dh31 million.