Police make multi-million heroin seizure

Heroin worth Dh20m, which was intended for the local market, is seized, with three arrests made in Dubai.

DUBAI // Dubai Police have seized 41 kilograms of heroin with a street value of Dh20 million (US$5.45m) intended to be sold locally, officials said today. The police are also on the the hunt for a fourth suspect after making three arrests across Dubai and Sharjah following an investigation into the lead suspect, said Brig Abdul Jaleel Mahdi, the head of Dubai's anti-narcotics department. Of the three arrested two are said to be Pakistani and one Indian. Originally from Afghanistan, the heroin was believed to be shipped in by the gang from Pakistan into the eastern region and then made its way to Dubai and Sharjah. "The department was able to arrest the gang that tried to promote the Asian quantity of heroin weighing about 40 kg, with an estimated market value of more than Dh20m," said Mr Mahdi. He said that his department has received a tip off regarding one of the Pakistani suspects and set up a "task force" to investigate. The ensuing investigation then led the police to discover the other members of the drug trafficking group. [e-mail]