Police Foil Attempt to Smuggle Dh4.5M Worth of Captagon Hidden in Buttons

Dubai Police have intercepted a gang attempting to smuggle almost 90,000 Captagon tablets concealed inside clothes buttons.

 

The haul, weighing 18.9kg and valued at Dh4.48 million, was uncovered in a raid carried out in co-operation with Saudi authorities. Police said the tablets were being prepared for trafficking out of the UAE.

 

Operation Toxic Buttons was launched after investigators received intelligence about three suspects -- two Arabs and one Asian -- working under instructions from an accomplice abroad. Surveillance of their movements, vehicles and residences led officers to uncover the hidden stash in a Dubai apartment and another property in a different emirate.

 

This latest seizure highlights the region-wide clampdown on Captagon smuggling. In a separate operation, Sharjah Police previously foiled an attempt to distribute 3.5 million pills, weighing about 585kg and valued at Dh19 million.

 

Captagon has become one of the most widely trafficked narcotics in the Middle East, with Syria long identified as its primary source before recent political changes. Reports estimate the global Captagon market to be worth about $10 billion annually, with the bulk of production previously originating in Syria and Lebanon.

 

Authorities across the Gulf have intensified efforts to intercept the drug, citing its growing use and the national security risks posed by its trade. Pills that cost only cents to produce can fetch up to $20 each on the black market in Arab countries.

 

 

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