Current:Home > Contact-usUAE police say they have seized $1 billion worth of Captagon amphetamines hidden in doors-LoTradeCoin
UAE police say they have seized $1 billion worth of Captagon amphetamines hidden in doors
View Date:2024-12-23 20:49:38
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Police in Dubai seized 86 million tablets of the amphetamine known as Captagon hidden in a shipment of doors and decorative building panels, authorities said Thursday, estimating its street value at just over $1 billion.
The bust comes as sales of the amphetamine have become a Mideast-wide problem during Syria’s long war.
A surveillance video released by the Interior Ministry in the United Arab Emirates shows suspects trying to bring the Captagon tablets through Dubai’s massive Jebel Ali Port. They were hidden in five shipping containers of doors and panels, with the drugs themselves weighing over 13 tons, authorities said.
The UAE “stands as an impenetrable fortress against any threat aimed at jeopardizing the security and well-being of the Emirati society,” Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a statement.
Authorities did not identify the arrested suspects but described their operation as an “international criminal organization,” without saying the source of the drugs. A Dubai police anti-narcotics official, Maj. Gen. Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, said the drugs were to be transferred to an unidentified third nation.
The value of the seizure given by authorities put the price of a pill at nearly $12. Costs can be as high as $25 a pill in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Syria has become the world’s leading trafficker of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine, during the war. Hundreds of millions of pills have been smuggled over the years into Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries, where the drug is used recreationally and by people with physically demanding jobs to keep them alert.
The United States, Britain and European Union accuse Syrian President Bashar Assad, his family and allies, including Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group, of facilitating and profiting from the trade. They say that has given Assad’s rule a massive financial lifeline at a time when the Syrian economy is crumbling. The Syrian government and Hezbollah deny the accusations.
Gulf Arab nations, after backing rebels trying to overthrow Assad at the start of the war, have since resumed diplomatic relations with Damascus. Analysts suggest that’s likely in part due to their efforts to stem the flow of Captagon regionally.
veryGood! (799)
Related
- Why Jersey Shore's Jenni JWoww Farley May Not Marry Her Fiancé Zack Clayton
- Herbivore Sale: The Top 15 Skincare Deals on Masks, Serums, Moisturizers, and More
- Inside Clean Energy: The Energy Storage Boom Has Arrived
- Want to Elect Climate Champions? Here’s How to Tell Who’s Really Serious About Climate Change
- Bohannan requests a recount in Iowa’s close congressional race as GOP wins control of House
- Warming Trends: Swiping Right and Left for the Planet, Education as Climate Solution and Why It Might Be Hard to Find a Christmas Tree
- A Chicago legend, whose Italian beef sandwich helped inspire 'The Bear,' has died
- Germany moves toward restrictions on Huawei, as Europe sours on China
- Justine Bateman feels like she can breathe again in 'new era' after Trump win
- Katy Perry Gives Update on Her Sobriety Pact With Orlando Bloom
Ranking
- John Krasinski Details Moment He Knew Wife Emily Blunt Was “the One”
- Credit Card Nation: How we went from record savings to record debt in just two years
- Toblerone is no longer Swiss enough to feature the Matterhorn on its packaging
- Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran Reveals Which TV Investment Made Her $468 Million
- Satire publication The Onion acquires Alex Jones' Infowars at auction
- Katy Perry Gives Update on Her Sobriety Pact With Orlando Bloom
- North Dakota, Using Taxpayer Funds, Bailed Out Oil and Gas Companies by Plugging Abandoned Wells
- Medical debt affects millions, and advocates push IRS, consumer agency for relief
Recommendation
-
Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
-
Early Amazon Prime Day Deal: Shop the Best On-Sale Yankee Candles With 41,300+ 5-Star Reviews
-
The Biden Administration’s Embrace of Environmental Justice Has Made Wary Activists Willing to Believe
-
As the US Pursues Clean Energy and the Climate Goals of the Paris Agreement, Communities Dependent on the Fossil Fuel Economy Look for a Just Transition
-
Watch: Military dad's emotional return after a year away
-
Kylie Jenner and Stormi Webster Go on a Mommy-Daughter Adventure to Target
-
Elon Musk apologizes after mocking laid-off Twitter employee with disability
-
In Pennsylvania’s Hotly Contested 17th Congressional District, Climate Change Takes a Backseat to Jobs and Economic Development