Dubai Police arrest 597 most wanted criminals, repatriate 85 fugitives over two years

Teamwork and utilising advanced surveillance technologies played great role in arresting criminals, says top official

International cooperation

Speaking about Dubai Police and its role in international cooperation, he explained that these criminals are involved in various crimes, including money laundering, drug trafficking and promotion, and leading organised crime syndicates.

Lt. Gen. Al Marri added that the force has also repatriated 85 wanted fugitives who were wanted abroad for various criminal charges such as forgery, theft, embezzlement premeditated murder, armed robbery, jewellery theft, and attempted theft.

He added that as part of the department's cooperation with international agencies, Dubai police provided 9,012 intelligence and criminal tips to the government of 195 countries and 60 law enforcement agencies and organisations.

He highlighted that the most prominent joint operations include the Desert Light Operation in 2022, The Ghost Operation, in 2021, Millstream in 2020 and Los Blancos in 2020.

Fund resorted

Speaking to Khaleej Times, on the sidelines of the Dubai World Police Summit, a top official from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said that the police had seized and restored Dh517,981,823 from international criminals involved in financial crimes in their countries.

Exchanging of intelligence

The official added that teamwork and utilising advanced surveillance technologies have played a great role in arresting some of the world’s most world-wanted criminals.

“Over the past two years, we have exchanged 9,012 security tips with member states of Interpol through the National Office of the Ministry of Interior and carried out successful joint international operations that dismantled transnational criminal syndicates," he said.

Last month, Dubai Police participated alongside six European countries in Operation Desert Light which focussed on dozens of high-value targets and drug lords that had come together to form what was known as a 'super cartel', which controlled around one-third of the cocaine trade in Europe. The Operation led to arresting 49 drug kingpins and members of a prolific transnational criminal network involved in large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering crimes.

In 2021, Dubai Police captured Moufide ‘Mouf’ Bouchibi, a French drug lord involved in drug trafficking and smuggling operations across Europe with an estimated annual street value of 70 million euros ($82.6 million).   Bouchibi became an international kingpin known as ‘The Ghost’. He had been travelling under a false identity and had been on the run for 10 years using forged documents when Dubai Police arrested him and extradited him to France.

In the same year, the Dubai Police also arrested one of Italy's most wanted criminals, Raffaele Imperiale, an alleged kingpin of the organised crime syndicate 'Camorra', which is involved in drug and weapons trafficking crimes across international borders.  The force also arrested Imperial's right-hand man Raffaele Mauriello, who is responsible for plotting and executing murders and assassinations using unlicensed firearms.

The force also brought to justice Michael Paul Moogan, one UK's most wanted criminals, for his alleged role in a large-scale international drug trafficking plot in the country.

Moogan had been on the run for eight years when the Dubai Police arrested him shortly after receiving a red notice from Interpol.

In 2020, the force arrested Denis Matoshi, a leader of the Albanian-speaking (Kompania Bello) criminal group in an international operation code-named ‘Los Blancos’.  The operation, which involved the anti-drug departments of 10 countries, resulted in the apprehending of 30 wanted gang leaders in a synchronized series of raids.

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