The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says it has dismantled an international drug network operating between Canada and Spain.
The drug shipment had an estimated weight of 131 kilograms and consisted of narcotics and psychotropic substances, the ministry said.
Police shut down the trafficking network using a “sophisticated and meticulous” security operation and arrested seven suspects, including one of “Arab nationality” who used his wife and children as a cover for smuggling operations, the UAE said.
Police monitored the suspect at the start of the investigation, the government said, as he frequently visited the UAE with his family. His movements and meetings with locals were tracked, and anti-narcotics teams apprehended him and other members of the drug network identified during the investigation.
Following his arrest, the suspect confessed to his role in smuggling the shipment and said his wife collaborated with him, using “location-based sites” to hide and distribute the drugs, according to the Interior Ministry.
As the investigation continued, police arrested five other suspects with “Asian nationalities” belonging to the same drug network, the ministry said.
The network’s “maritime smuggling route” ran from Toronto to Malaga, Spain, and then connected to the UAE, according to the ministry, which said the operation was uncovered as a result of information received by officials.
Police located a drug shipment containing about 9,945 capsules of narcotics inside a container carrying spare car parts and also found tools and technology used for trafficking, according to the post.
Judicial authorities are now handling the case, according to the government, which said it intends to pursue remaining elements of the network still outside the country and fully dismantle the network through legal means.
The Epoch Times contacted Global Affairs Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Toronto Police Service but did not hear back by publication time.
The Canada Border Services Agency has reported increased seizures of fentanyl precursor chemicals inside Canada and noted that seizures of “clandestine laboratories” in Canada indicate the drug is being produced domestically.
