UAE: Ras Al Khaimah authorities seize 103kg of hashish found on fishing boat

Ras Al Khaimah Police’s anti-narcotics department seized 103 kilograms of hashish and arrested a number of drug dealers on drug trafficking and smuggling charges, the police force announced on Monday.

The drugs were found on a fishing boat off one of the United Arab Emirates’ coasts, after the police force cooperated with the Coast Guard command and immediately seized the drugs, Commander-in-Chief of Ras Al Khaimah Police Major General Ali bin Abdullah bin Alwan al-Nuaimi said in a statement.

The alleged smugglers who were arrested have now been referred to Public Prosecution.

Al-Nuaimi praised the efforts and cooperation of the taskforce that conducted the seizure and the Emirates Coast Guard, expressing appreciation for their role in protecting the community from narcotics and reducing the threat to the country’s security and stability.

The UAE has ramped up its crackdown on smuggling and illegal activity in recent weeks.

In a statement on Thursday, Interpol acknowledged the UAE’s efforts in helping it arrest long-sought human smuggler Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, a notorious smuggler known for his violent treatment of migrants and head of a major criminal organization behind the kidnapping, extortion and murder of East African migrants.

Habtemariam is the subject of two Interpol red notices by Ethiopia and the Netherlands, and the capture was nine months in the making, according to a social media post from Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the UAE’s Minister of Interior.

Following a task force meeting between Ethiopia, Sudan, The Netherlands, UAE, Europol and Regional Operational Centre, Emirati authorities conducted a thorough investigation of his network and family members, identifying money laundering activities that led to Sudan. He was arrested in Sudan on January 1.

He will reportedly end up spending life in prison after the due legal processes are completed.