‘UAE is safe but drugs pose threat’

Dubai Police warns against complacency on narcotics, adding it is identifying supply sources through packaging used

DUBAI // People should not think that the UAE is free of drug abuse despite the country’s high level of security, says a senior police official. “Some people assume that our country has a clean atmosphere and therefore drugs do not pose a threat, but that is not true,” said Col Ibrahim Al Dabal, who was speaking yesterday at the Hemaya International Forum on Drug Issues.

“There is no country in the world that is safe from drugs and no person that may not be vulnerable.”

He said there were those who believed that people become addicted after they had taken narcotics for the first time.

“That is also not true as many people have entered the world of addiction and left it,” said Col Al Dabal, adding that there was a need for further studies.

He also called for the gap in research on drug use in the Arab world to be filled.

The goal was not only to raise awareness about staying away from drugs but also to encourage drug users to become productive members of society, said Col Al Dabal.

Dubai Police said it was identifying the sources of drugs through their packaging or stamped symbols.

“This means researching the logo on the drugs if they are tablets, as well as the packaging and the way it was concealed or smuggled,” said Col Khaled Al Sumaiti, who works for the forensic science and criminology department.

“We are also looking into the chemical composition of drugs and the percentages of active and non-active ingredients.

“Each drug producer or country has its unique composition, different packaging, different machines to brand the drugs, and this can help drug law enforcement identify the producers, like fingerprints.”

Between August 2014 and last month, Dubai Police has dealt with 2,800 drug cases, of which 220 were related to amphetamines.

Dubai Police yesterday denied social media rumours that a form of sweet containing narcotics was being sold in the emirate’s schools.

Col Eid Hareb, director of anti-narcotics, said police had received no reports from schools and that the “pill”, called “quick berry” or “quick strawberry”, was only a sweet.

“This happens almost every school year when such messages are sent through WhatsApp, and people, scared for their children, send it to others without checking whether there is any truth to them,” he said.

“We urge parents to contact the anti-narcotics department on 800 400400 if they are unsure of such reports before spreading rumours that may result in panic.”

Dr Fuad Tarbah, of the forensics science and criminology department, confirmed that the sweet in question had absolutely no psychotropic component and had no effect on a person’s central nervous system.

‘ There is no country in the world that is safe from drugs and no person that may not be vulnerable Col Ibrahim Al Dabal Dubai Police