UAE and Iraq intercept 200,000 captagon pills smuggled into Ras Al Khaimah

Joint operation in Ras Al Khaimah

The authorities of the UAE and Iraq announced the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network: a large shipment of narcotics was intercepted in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, and a total of 20 suspects were arrested. The National reports this. The operation was carried out by the UAE's National Anti-Narcotics Agency together with the Ras Al Khaimah Police, Iraq's Directorate General for Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Affairs, and the federal prosecutor's office.

What was seized and how the network operated

According to the publication, the suspects — citizens of Arab, African, and Asian countries — planned to smuggle the drugs through a border area of Ras Al Khaimah and distribute them across the country. In addition to 200,000 captagon pills and more than 30 kg of narcotics, the seizures included cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, marijuana, hashish, and the synthetic drug Spice. The operation was the result of intelligence sharing between the two countries: the Iraqi side said investigators collected, analyzed, and passed information to the UAE about the network's plans, after which an interception plan was developed. Some suspects were arrested with the drugs during the interception of the shipment, while the others were taken in separate raids.

Statements from both sides

Iraqi authorities emphasized that combating drug trafficking requires international partnerships, not just domestic efforts, and that intelligence sharing and coordination between agencies are essential for tracking criminal networks, disrupting their plans, and shutting down smuggling routes. In the UAE, it was stated that the operation disrupted the work of international drug networks and confirmed the importance of cooperation among regional security services.