General Tahir al-Dhaheri, director of Abu Dhabi Police's anti-narcotics team, said the suspect had intended to transport the huge haul of drugs – hidden in cans of green beans - to a neighboring Middle Eastern country.

In a statement on social media, he said the arrest was thanks to a covert surveillance operation which led to police raiding a warehouse in an undisclosed location in the United Arab Emirates.

Officers had tracked the man's movements after being alerted of a plan to bring the drugs to the UAE. The value of the drugs was not revealed.

Earlier this month Dubai Police rounded up a combined 28 suspects who were running drug rings with products worth $8.7 million (AED 32 million).

The drug traffickers were busted while attempting to promote 111 kilograms of various narcotics.

The first operation thwarted a three-member gang reportedly attempting to trade 99 kilograms of Captagon across the UAE, worth over $8.4 million (AED 31 million).

The trio were picked up in planned ambush.

The following operation saw the arrest of one suspect who reportedly promoted narcotics using an international mobile number. He was found in possession of 9.7 kilograms of crystal meth and tools used in filtering and manufacturing the drug.

The final operation targeted one person who reportedly used social media to promote the drugs. After locating and arresting the suspect, it led to the identification and arrest of 23 more individuals who were found to be in possession of heroin, crystal meth, and hashish.