Officer, Alcohol Smuggler Killed

MUSCAT, Oman — A policeman and the leader of a gang of bootleggers were killed in a desert shoot-out this week, police reported Thursday.

Police intercepted the bootleggers as they attempted to smuggle alcohol across the desert, an official statement said.

Alcohol is strictly regulated in Oman, an Islamic sultanate at the southern end of the Persian Gulf, which in recent years started emerging from centuries of isolation.

Oman is bordered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and South Yemen. The U.A.E. has many ports and a freewheeling commerce.

Permits to buy limited quantities of alcohol for drinking at home are available only to non-Muslims and must be approved by the Royal Oman Police.