The greatest drug raid in Australia since 2019 saw the seizure of roughly two tonnes of methamphetamine from shipping containers in a Sydney port by Australian officials working with Dubai Customs as Khaleej Times reported. The methamphetamines found were worth Dh4.04 billion and the stash carrying the drugs was found within marble slabs imported from a neighboring country in a Sydney port.
According to The National News, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director general of Dubai Customs, emphasized the agency’s ongoing efforts to support legal trade and safeguard society. He also emphasized how ready everyone is to combat any potential customs or security risks on a local and international level in order to stop smuggling operations and lessen the negative effects that drugs have on nations and societies.
Also, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of the Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), explained that the success of this operation came as a result of the support and directives of the top leadership to work on developing deep and solid relations between the UAE and various countries of the world. He went further and stated:
We are working to achieve integration in our efforts to protect society from risks and facilitate trade movement not only at the local level but also at the global level, in cooperation with the security authorities in the relevant entities to present an international unique model that distinguishes Dubai on the world map.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem via Khaleej Times
This wasn’t the only operation; throughout the year, other activities also led to the discovery of methamphetamine in air cargo bound for Dubai. The supplies are thought to have been utilized in smuggling activities between South America and Australia by transnational criminal organizations.
In August of this year, Australian authorities detained members of a gang after discovering 748 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in 24 containers that arrived at a berth at Port Botany, and another 1,060 kilograms of methamphetamine were discovered in 19 containers that arrived at the same port, according to Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director of the Intelligence Department at Dubai Customs.