The illegal drugs were hidden inside 152 industrial-sized spools of thread, packaged as though they would be sold for use in the textiles market.
But as the spools passed through the scanners in Cargo Village at Dubai International Airport, inspectors with Dubai Customs started noticing that the density of wrapped thread varied from reel to reel. And that led to the seizure of a massive haul of the recreational drug, Captagon.
When the Customs officials cut open the first 850g spool, they found it was stuffed with tablets. Further testing revealed 651,000 pills of Captagon, or 104kg, in all.
The haul, on Jan 27, dwarfed the 10-15kg amounts of Captagon that had been seized in the past, said Abdul Rahman al Saleh, the senior executive director of corporate affairs at Dubai Customs.
"This is a huge quantity of drugs to come to the market," he added. "And the way it was brought in was very innovative."
Dubai Customs and Dubai Police do not put an illicit market - or street - value on drug seizures. However, during a 2005 raid in Turkey, authorities found two North Korean diplomats assigned to the Bulgarian embassy to be carrying half a million Captagon tablets.
At that time the drugs, destined for the Arab market, were estimated to have a street value of US$7 million (Dh25.7m).
Mr al Saleh would not name the country of origin, although he confirmed they came from within the region. An Arab resident of the UAE who was present as the packages were examined was arrested and referred to the Dubai Police's anti-drug department.
Brig Abdul Jaleel Mahdi, the director of the General Department of Combating Narcotics at Dubai Police, said the drugs were generally produced in "a country very close to here".
"It's not the first time that Captagon pills have passed through the country,'' he said, "but it is more widespread in other neighbouring countries than it is in the UAE.''
Captagon is the brand name for a synthetic stimulant called fenethylline that was invented in the early 1960s. It was initially used to treat children with what is now known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and, to a lesser extent, adults with narcolepsy and depression. It was later banned worldwide.
Since 2000 there has been a rise in the use of Captagon - which is also produced in counterfeit form using other amphetamines - among youths in the Arab world who use it recreationally, to stay awake or as a weight-loss aid.
Dr Ahmed Yousif Ali, the head of treatment and rehabilitation at the National Rehabilitation Centre in the capital, said last autumn that almost all of his patients had abused Captagon.
He warned of the side effects, explaining that it "sabotages the brain" and can keep users awake for days.
Hamad al Ghaferi, the centre's director-general, said yesterday that there were still cases of people being treated for abusing Captagon.
"It is one of the drugs, the medications that has been smuggled into the country," he said.
In recent years the Middle East has been increasingly affected by the manufacture of Captagon, known locally as Abu Hilalain, according to the 2008 World Drug Report from the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime.
When the report was released last autumn, its authors said there was no evidence such synthetic drugs were being manufactured in the UAE or the GCC, but rather in clandestine laboratories in Bulgaria, Turkey and Syria.
But they do appear to have become drugs of choice in the region; in recent years the Middle East has seen its share of global seizures of synthetic drugs, including Captagon, amphetamines and Ecstasy, jump from one per cent to 25 per cent, according to the report.
The size of the Captagon seizure in Dubai pales in comparison with others; in 2006, 14 tonnes were seized in Saudi Arabia and two tonnes in Oman.
At the end of January four men were arrested after Dubai Customs seized 16kg of heroin that had been smuggled into the country in hollowed-out almonds.
Earlier this month, Sharjah Police seized 1kg of heroin and 290g of opium and arrested three people from one family.
amcqueen@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Jessica Hume and Rasha Abu Baker
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm - Ziyadd; 7.05pm - Barney Roy; 7.40pm - Dee Ex Bee; 8.15pm - Dubai Legacy; 8.50pm - Good Fortune; 9.25pm - Drafted; 10pm - Simsir
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
England v South Africa schedule:
- First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
SPECS
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
