'The Bat' nabbed by Dubai Police

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Anti-narcotics officers from Dubai Police have nabbed a notorious drug dealer nicknamed 'The Bat'.

A 10-day surveillance operation led to his arrest, and it cracked open an international drug syndicate that consisted of a network of hundreds of dealers who used social media to sell drugs.

Police say the suspected ringleader, described only as being in his 30s, pretended to be a drug user when apprehended, but was found with 200kg worth of contraband in his possession. 

The authority has urged the public to continue reporting illicit social media messages and also called on  parents to educate children about the dangers of using drugs.

As part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness, the General Department of Anti-Narcotics has launched the second edition of the 'Anonymous Messages' campaign in cooperation with the 'Al Ameen' service of Dubai Police.

It runs until November 28, under the motto: "No engagement…No Reply…No Repost".

"During the first half of this year, the e-crime platform of Dubai Police received about 2,222 reports on anonymous messages, while 527 drug dealers were arrested during the same period," said Brigadier Khalid bin Muwaiza, Acting Director of the General Department of Anti-Narcotics.

"We pay extra attention to the public comments and reports on these types of messages. The most frequent complaints indicated that no matter how many times they blocked these numbers, the messages keep coming from different ones.

"The Force urges the public to contact the police, report these messages through e-crime platforms, and block the numbers," he added.

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