DUBAI // Three men from Syria denied having anything to do with a haul of more than six million illegal amphetamine-like pills discovered by police hidden inside water pipes, Dubai Criminal Court heard.
A total of 6.5 million Captagon pills worth almost Dh65 million were found by officers who searched a lorry in Ras Al Khor after acting on a tip off.
Prosecutors said that on November 23 last year, 29-year-old A Y imported the drugs in 165 large pipes. E A, 35, and A S, 31, were both charged with possessing the drugs. All three men claimed they did not know the pipes had anything illegal hidden inside.
Anti-Narcotics officer M S testified that he was assigned to oversee a sting operation involving the men and a police source.
“E A was in contact with a police source and he met with him in the fruit and vegetable market in Al Aweer then went with him to Ras Al Khor,” the policeman said.
He added that E A showed the police source the truck where the pills were hidden then left.
“Searching the truck, it contained pipes that were custom-made for smuggling the drugs. There was an outer pipe and an inner pipe welded together, and in between the two there was a vacuum where the pills were stashed,” said the officer, adding that E A was then arrested.
“E A told us that A S introduced him to the drugs’ owner in Syria who told E A that only A S knew how to get the drugs out of the pipes,” the officer said.
The drugs came into Dubai through Jebel Ali Port, after which E A moved them to Fujairah. Here, they were stored for about a month before being brought back to Dubai to be delivered to the police source.
A S was arrested at his work place in Al Aweer. During interrogations he denied knowing E A. Records did not mention when and how A Y was arrested.
The next hearing will be on October 4.
salamir@thenational.ae