An attempt to smuggle 103kgs of narcotics substance “Hashish” was foiled in a joint operation by the Anti-Narcotics Department and Coast Guard Command of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
Several drug dealers made the attempt to get the drugs into the UAE by hiding them on fishing boats to escape the authorities.
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According to Ras Al Khaimah Police Commander-in-Chief, Major General Ali Abdullah bin Alwan Al Nuaimi, Ras Al Khaimah police had received information about the attempt to smuggle drugs and were able to swiftly launch a co-operated mission with the emirate’s Coast Guard Command to nab the smugglers.
Major Al Nuaimi also lauded the efforts by the emirate’s authorities to stop drugs from reaching UAE shores and also for their role in ensuring stability and security in the country.
A legal case on the smuggling has been issued and the arrested drug dealers have been moved over to competent judicial authorities to proceed with the legal procedures as per UAE laws.
UAE has a no-tolerance policy on drug trafficking. As per the 1995 Federal Law No. 14, the UAE considers the production, transport, buying, storing, possessing, selling, importing, and exporting of any psychotropic or narcotic substance as a criminal offense.
Depending on the classification of the substance, punishments can range from at least 2 years of jail time and a penalty of at least 10 thousand dirhams. Moreover, for non-UAE citizens, the punishment will also include deportation once the other punishments are completed.
Over the recent years, UAE has been working closely with international agencies to nab notorious criminals and bust drug gangs wanted all around the world.
Just recently, UAE helped Interpol to arrest Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, a wanted criminal by international polices since 2019. Habtemarian is an Eritrean national and is known to be at the helm of a major globally operating criminal organization that does kidnapping, murders, and extortion of mainly East African migrants to European countries.
As per an official statement from Interpol, Habtemarian was arrested in Sudan as a result of an extensive international operation led by the UAE forces. The arrest was a result of a 9-months long mission on which forces from the UAE, Netherlands, Sudan, and Ethiopia joined hands.
The United Arab Emirates forces have also been quite successful in busting drug smuggling attempts of various forms.
Just looking back to the year 2022, the Dubai Police were able to bust several attempts to smuggle drugs into the country including 436kgs of drugs hidden along with a shipment of broad beans, Dh58 million worth of Captagon pills hidden inside fake lemon shells, 3.7kgs of marijuana hidden inside car aircon filters tried to get smuggled via the Dubai International Airport, over 1,000kgs of crystal meth hidden in over 200 solar panels, 24kgs of Hashish tried to get smuggled via the Al Darah border with Oman, 600,000 Captagon pills hidden inside marble slabs, 38kgs of crystal meth hidden inside fish guts, almost 2.5kgs of cocaine hidden inside shampoo bottles, drug-soaked paper clips hidden inside the underwear tried to be smuggled by a prisoner into the Dubai Central Jail, 42kgs of marijuana hidden along with dried hot peppers, and much more.
The United Arab Emirates being a much-loved country for almost everyone around the world, has also made it an attractive destination for drug lords and criminals to concentrate their efforts. However, the competent local and federal authorities of the country have been working restlessly to bust any attempt to destabilize the country and also to ensure that the master brain criminals behind such activities are captured, regardless of where they hide.
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Local UAE authorities have also launched several awareness campaigns against drugs in the country. Recently, Fujairah Police launched the “We are all together to combat drugs” campaign. The campaign, which ran till the end of December 2022, provided detailed insight into the dangers of drug use including psychological impacts and its adverse effect on one’s health.
According to Deputy Director of Fujairah Police Anti-Narcotics Department, Lieutenant Colonel Khaled Rashid Al Saadi, social media has become a major player in luring youngsters into drugs. He also advised parents to monitor the online activities of their children to ensure that they don’t fall into any such traps.
Also, the Ras Al Khaimah police launched the “Drugs: A Painful End” campaign last year on International Anti-Drug Day. The campaign saw warnings about the danger of drug use and drug addiction be shown in movie theaters within the emirate. Also, text messages in Arabic, Chinese, and English languages that spread awareness of the dangers of psychotic substance abuse were also broadcasted as part of the campaign.
Similar campaigns are conducted periodically throughout all the emirates in the UAE. Moreover, schools and public communities are also encouraged in the country to spread awareness against drug use.