Dubai: Almost half of all suspects arrested in drug-related cases in the UAE were apprehended in Dubai in the second quarter (April to June) of this year, Dubai Police revealed today.
The General Department of Anti-Narcotics at Dubai Police said 49.6 per cent of the total arrests across the country were in Dubai during the period.
During the same time span, Dubai Police also seized 491kg of drugs and more than 3.3 million narcotic pills. The drugs included cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, opium, marijuana, hashish, and various types of narcotic pills.
Performance review
The announcement was revealed during the General Department of Anti-Narcotics performance review meeting for the second quarter of the current year, chaired by Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.
Lt Gen Al Marri praised the efforts of the teams at the General Department of Anti-Narcotics, emphasising their role in ensuring the security of the nation, protecting the community from the harmful effects of drugs, and effectively combating drug distribution and capturing dealers, both domestically and internationally.
International tip-offs
The statistics also highlighted Dubai Police’s contribution in sharing 50 significant pieces of information with multiple countries during the second quarter of this year, such as Australia, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and China, among many others. The collaborative efforts led to the arrest of 28 suspects and the seizure of 431kg of drugs, including khat, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.
During the same period, the department successfully detected and blocked 560 social media accounts promoting drugs.
Colonel Dr Abdul Rahman Sharaf, Director of Hemaya International Centre, reviewed the centre’s achievements during Q2 2023, where 28,000 students from 20 different nationalities benefited from 71 educational and community programmes. Furthermore, he said the centre’s awareness campaigns and programmes on social media platforms reached an audience of 776,724 people.
