Sharjah  - A drugs gang responsible for smuggling 202 kilos of heroin into the United Arab Emirates has been uncovered in what the police described as the biggest drugs seizure in the region.

Abdullah al-Dukhan, deputy chief of Sharjah police, said the pure heroin seized is estimated at 40 million dirham (10.9 million US dollars).

"The 19-member-gang is from Afghanistan and was based in Sharjah," al-Dukhan said at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the drugs were found in suitcases in an apartment ready to be sold.

Al-Dukhan said the gang had a food-exporting license and used it for their stay in the UAE. The suspects hid the drugs inside the fuel tanks of trucks and imported privately to the country, and they have recently imported seven trucks and hid the heroin in three of them.

The UAE imposes severe penalties for all drug-related offences. Four years in prison is the usual sentence for possession while trafficking carries the death penalty. (dpa)