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Dubai Police block nearly 300 websites promoting illegal drugs in 3 months
Police have previously warned that overseas dealers use social media and accomplices in the UAE to reach customers and facilitate transactions
- PUBLISHED: Tue 28 Jul 2026, 2:57 PM
Dubai Police blocked 297 websites promoting narcotics during the second quarter of 2026, nearly three times the number identified in the first three months of the year.
The force had blocked 110 such websites during the first quarter, taking the total identified and blocked in the first half of 2026 to 407.
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The latest action reflects a continuing crackdown on the use of digital platforms to advertise and sell illegal drugs. Police had earlier warned about dealers operating from outside the UAE and using platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook to reach potential customers, while accomplices inside the country managed accounts and helped facilitate transactions.
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Under the UAE’s cybercrime law, anyone who creates, manages or supervises a website, or publishes information online, to promote or facilitate the use of narcotics can face imprisonment and a fine of between Dh500,000 and Dh1 million.
International law enforcement agencies have warned that online drug markets can take several forms, ranging from conventional websites and mainstream social media accounts to encrypted applications and darknet marketplaces. Some darknet markets resemble regular e-commerce platforms, displaying product photographs, listings and customer reviews, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FBI has said increased enforcement against darknet markets has also pushed some drug transactions towards encrypted applications and widely used social media platforms. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has similarly warned that traffickers use smartphones to advertise, arrange payment for and coordinate the delivery of illegal drugs.
Helping arrest drug dealers
Dubai Police also shared 125 intelligence reports with law enforcement agencies in other countries during the quarter, leading to the arrest of a number of suspects worldwide.
The second-quarter figures were presented during a performance review of Dubai Police’s General Department of Anti-Narcotics, chaired by Major General Hareb Al Shamsi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Affairs.
Brigadier Khalid bin Muwaizah, Director of the General Department of Anti-Narcotics, said drug trafficking was a transnational crime that required coordinated action between law enforcement agencies around the world.
Officials reviewed figures on drug cases, suspects and quantities seized during the second quarter, as well as the department’s contribution to arrests in drug-trafficking cases across Dubai and the UAE. The quantities seized and number of suspects were not disclosed.
The meeting also reviewed the work of the Hemaya International Centre, which organised 95 awareness programmes benefiting 467,879 people during the quarter.
Its digital campaigns reached a further 8,723,327 people through social media. The initiatives focused on security awareness, community participation and the role of families in addressing drug-related and other emerging challenges.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.