Police chase ends with arrest of 'drug dealers' in RAK

The men have been accused of possessing 10,000 tablets and a small amount of opium, the Ministry of Interior said yesterday.

RAS AL KHAIMAH // Three men have been arrested and accused of possessing and dealing drugs.

The men, all Arabs, were accused of possessing 10,000 tablets and a small amount of opium, the Ministry of Interior said yesterday.

The trio, aged 19, 22 and 37, were arrested by a joint team of drug enforcement officers. They initially resisted arrest and tried to force their way past a drug enforcement vehicle in a bid to escape, the ministry said.

Acting on a tip-off, the anti-drugs squad located the three men, who have a history of drug-related activities, claimed Maj Gen Abdul Jalil Mahdi Al Asmawi, the deputy chairman of the higher anti-drugs committee.

“In the Khat area one of the accused was spotted as he was getting in a car that was waiting for him near some woods, with a plastic bag in his hands,” Maj Gen Al Asmawi said. “When they noticed that they were exposed and were being followed, they increased their speed trying to escape anti-drugs officers, but they could not. The driver tried repeatedly to ram the police car away, but his attempts failed.”

After a short chase, the driver turned into a dead end and all three men were apprehended, Maj Gen Al Asmawi said.

All three men are said to have admitted to receiving the drugs. They also confessed to using and dealing drugs, according to the Ministry of Interior.