Thursday 03 / October / 2024
Muscat: Today, Royal Oman Police marks the International Customs Day. Here are their top five busts in 2016.
1. Six million pills seized, 10 ‘gang’ members arrested
At least 10 men have been held by the Royal Oman Police for allegedly attempting to smuggle six million psychotropic tablets into the Sultanate.
Royal Oman Police officers found the illegal drugs in pipes used in the construction industry. Captagon tablets, containing a psychotropic substance, were found in the pipes.
Officers from the Directorate General of Narcotics Control intercepted the tablets which they said had come to Oman via three neighboring countries. A spokesman for the ROP declined to specify the number of men held but confirmed that it was over 10.
Colonel Abdulrahim Al Farsi, Director General of Narcotics Control, said, “According to the information, gang members hid more than six million Captagon tablets inside pipes used on a digging machine.”
“After they (pipes) arrived to the location they were sent to, the gang extracted the pills and stashed them in an apartment until they were ready to smuggle from the Sultanate to another country,” added Col. Al Farsi.
2. Customs prevents 2.8 million pills from hitting the streets
An attempt to smuggle 2.8 million pills of drugs were foiled by Royal Oman Police (ROP) at Sohar airport on January 21st.
Police reported that around 2.8 million pills of the cabtagon drug were found hidden inside pipes.
A police source said this attempt is linked to a previous one which took place last November.
More than six million drug tablets were seized in November's arrests.
3. Major Khat smuggling sting nabbed
In a major crackdown on drug traffickers, Royal Oman Police (ROP) foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of more than 3,000 bundles of ‘Khat’ drug in Dhofar.
According to ROP source, the coastguards spotted a suspicious boat in the Omani territorial waters.
Officers arrested the Asian national on the boat for allegedly attempting to smuggle narcotics in the country, according to ROP.
“He was sent to the anti-narcotics department in Dhofar along with the seized items to continue legal procedures,” said the source.
4. 32,000 bottles seized in raids in Oman
32,000 liquor bottles smuggled into Oman and stored in different warehouses and stores have been confiscated by Royal Oman Police (ROP).
“The bottles were smuggled into Oman in a truck driven by an Arab national. The police followed the truck. The officials found that in Musannah, they were offloaded in different parts,” ROP statement said.
The police acted on a tip off.
The police seized 32,000 bottles of liquor in that particular raid.
Asians in Oman in connection with the liquor storage and smuggling were also arrested.
5. More than 48,000 bottles of liquor sized
On the 16th of January, More than 48,000 bottles of alcoholic beverages were apprehended from a gang of alcohol smugglers by the police during raids at a number of storages in the Sultanate, the Royal Oman Police reported.
Altogether, 48,966 bottles of liquor were seized during the raids.
