Khalil Dasuki, a resident of Lod, was arrested in Dubai for attempting to smuggle $136,000,000 (NIS 439,689,400) worth of pure cocaine recently, Israeli media reported over the weekend, with Dubai Police calling it the largest drug seizure in the region.
Dubai Police announced on Sunday that they had thwarted a smuggling attempt of 1102 pounds (500 kilograms) of pure cocaine recently in an operation named "Scorpion." The drugs were hidden within a cargo container.
Brigadier Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Dubai Police, stated that police had placed the suspect under close surveillance at all times before they raided his residence and arrested him.
"We received a security tip on an international drug syndicate attempting to smuggle a huge amount of pure cocaine hidden in a cargo container into a seaport with the assistance of a Middle Eastern accomplice in the emirate," said Hareb, adding that the suspect transported the drugs from Dubai to another emirate where he stored them in a warehouse.
Dubai Police announced that the suspect had confessed to the drug trafficking charges.
The police report did not identify the suspect, only revealing that the suspect was a "Middle Eastern gang member" operating as an intermediary in the United Arab Emirates for an international drug syndicate.
Israeli media identified the suspect as Dasuki, with reports stating that he had a long criminal history in Israel. Recently Dasuki and his brother were arrested by police in a narcotics case, but not enough evidence was collected against Dasuki to try him, although enough evidence was found against his brother and other suspects, according to KAN news.
"Too many details are currently unknown," said Dasuki's lawyer Uri Ben-Natan to KAN. "Dasuki is being held in a drug police detention facility in Dubai and is due to go [for a hearing] for an extended detention on Sunday. The suspicion is of drug trafficking in large quantities."