Drugs officers in Dubai have arrested a gang of dealers who smuggled 33 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine into the country.
The gang brought the drugs into the UAE by hiding them inside gas cylinders. The drugs were to be moved to countries in east Asia.
Maj Gen Abdul Jalil Mahdi Al Asmawi, the deputy chairman of the higher anti-drugs committee, said the gang smuggled the drugs using boats.
The gas cylinders were stored in an apartment in the Al Marar neighbourhood in Dubai. One of them exploded while a gang member was cutting it open with an electric saw to remove the drugs.
The explosion caused serious damage to the apartment and to the building. The suspect, who sustained severe injuries and burns, fled the scene but was later arrested by police.
