Gulf Today

European gets 5-year jail term for drug abuse

- Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

DUBAI: The Dubai Criminal Court sentenced a European to five years in jail, to be followed by deportatio­n and fined him Dhs400 for facilitati­ng drug abuse for others.

The case dates back to June 2020 when a cycling squad of the Dubai Police arrested the suspect while inspecting the JBR area and the Marina during the period of embargo during the national sterilisat­ion campaign.

In the case papers, a policeman testified that he arrested three persons in an abnormal condition, including the suspect. On being interrogat­ed, he confessed to consuming narcotic substances which he provided to his friends through another suspect.

According to WAM, the Dubai Police successful­ly uncovered 728 drug-related cases, arrested 1,044 suspects, and seized 1,034kg of illegal drugs over the last four months of 2020.

The force also blocked 16 websites that promoted drugs and provided internatio­nal anti-narcotics agencies with 68 security tips that led to the seizure of 3,512 tonnes of illegal drugs and narcotic pills and the arrest of 34 suspects.

These statistics were revealed during an appraisal meeting chaired by Dubai Police Assistant Commander-in-chief for criminal investigat­ion, major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, who praised the efforts exerted by the General Department of Anti-narcotics at Dubai Police in combating drugs locally and internatio­nally.

Brigadier Eid Muhammad Thani Hareb, Director of Anti-narcotics at Dubai Police, said that they are working tirelessly, in co-operation with other sectors from within and outside the Dubai Police, to address this serious issue and arrest drug trafficker­s and promoters, and preserve our society and the youth.

He added that the Dubai Police General Command spares no effort in fighting drugs internatio­nally as well, believing that the drug issue is a thorny cross-border issue that requires internatio­nal cooperatio­n to combat and eliminate it, explaining that they worked to supply different countries with 68 pieces of crucial informatio­n in Q4 2020, which helped the arrest of 34 suspects and the seizure of 3,512 tonnes of drugs.

Last month, Dubai Customs busted a major drug traffickin­g operation, seizing 76.31kg of narcotics at Hamriya Port.

The Dhs47.5 million worth of drugs comprising 30.15kg of crystal meth and 46.16kg of hashish were found sta shed inside an inbound container shipment, said Ibrahim Kamali, acting executive director of Customs Inspection Division at Dubai Customs.

“Upon analysis of intelligen­ce data our officers got suspicious over an inbound shipment to Hamriya Port that was flagged by the Risk Engine system as being high risk,” he pointed out.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Bahrain