Dubai police seized 500 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $136 million, and arrested a suspect, according to a police statement on Sunday.

The statement stated that Dubai Police had recently thwarted an attempt to smuggle 500 kilograms of cocaine to the UAE with the aim of selling it, without further details about the place and date of the operation.

He added that "500 kilograms of cocaine, valued at more than 500 million dirhams... (arrived) are hidden in a container."

A person from a Middle Eastern country was arrested, suspected of having worked as an intermediary in an international criminal organization, according to the same source.

Dubai Customs regularly announces drug seizures in the emirate, which has strict anti-drug laws.

Drug trafficking is punishable by death, often commuted to life imprisonment.