Drug-smuggling attempts foiled

ABU DHABI - The UAE has recently foiled several drug-smuggling attempts by international gangs who were planning to use the country as a transit to route drugs from and to neighbouring countries, a senior official said yesterday.

By A Staff Reporter

Published: Tue 10 May 2005, 11:18 PM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 8:25 PM

Speaking to reporters after a joint UAE-Omani meeting on drug-combating held here yesterday, Colonel Abdullah Rashid Al Bedaiwi, Director of the Ani-narcotics Department at the Ministry of Interior said the success of the operation was mainly attributed to the introduction of drugs controlled-delivery system which helped in busting the smuggling operations at the source. He however did not give details of the operations.

He said the UAE's progress in the area of fighting drugs at the local, regional and international levels had gained international acclaim and encouraged the UN to pick the country to host anti-drugs bureau.

The UAE has undertaken to bear the estimated US$3 million cost of establishing the office. The sub-office will operate under the Cairo-based UN regional Office on Drugs and Crime.

The UAE Ministry of Interior also paid an additional 50,000 US dollars as a contribution to the UN anti-narcotics programme.

On the efforts to rein in the supply of drugs, the UAE succeeded in handling some 4774 drugs cases during the period from 1999 to September 2004, involving 7611 people from various nationalities, according to official reports of the Ministry of Interior.

Drug quantities confiscated during this period weighed 18771 kilograms of cannabis, 431 kg of heroin and 111 kg of opium.

The UAE also enhanced its regional and international efforts, resulting in 14 controlled delivery cases from 1999 till 2004.

These cases resulted in the netting of the trafficking gangs in other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Pakistan, Iran, Australia, Canada and Holland. The total of quantity of the confiscated drugs reached 19,442 kg of cannabis and 50 kg of heroin.

Joint international Controlled delivery efforts resulted in the netting of gangs in at least 12 cases with cooperation with Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.