Three Men Held in Hurghada Over 1,730 Tramadol Tablets

Prosecutors in Hurghada on Monday ordered three men held for four days pending investigation, after police seized 1,730 Tramadol tablets they are accused of preparing to sell in the town, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The three, aged 21, 22 and 33, are accused of trafficking and dealing in narcotic drugs in the area covered by Hurghada's First Police Station, the outlet reports.

Officers from the Red Sea Security Directorate arrested them after information reached detectives that the group was bringing in and selling narcotics in the district. Investigators set up several ambushes at locations identified by their inquiries, and the three were stopped with the tablets before they could be passed on to buyers, the report says.

Detectives from the First Hurghada police station led the operation. The men and the seized tablets were taken into custody, a report was filed and the public prosecution opened an investigation. After the three were brought before prosecutors, they were ordered detained for four days while inquiries continue, including into where the tablets came from.

Al-Masry Al-Youm identified the men only by their initials. No court has ruled on the case, and the report does not say whether anyone else is being sought or how the tablets reached the town.

It is the second drug case in Hurghada reported in a matter of days: this site reported earlier this week that 407 pills and a bottle of CBD oil were seized from a passenger arriving at Hurghada airport from Belgium. Tramadol is a controlled substance in Egypt, and the tally of tablets in this case points to street supply rather than personal use — though prosecutors have not yet set out their case.