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28 March 2024

GCC nationals top list for possessing drugs: Police

Published
By Mohammed El Sadafy

The number of persons arrested for possessing drugs rose from 1,039 in 2010 to 1,220 in 2011, according to a report of the anti-narcotics department of Dubai Police.

The number of drug seizure cases rose from 731 to 873 while the quantity of drugs seized fell from 1,125kg to 394kg during the same period, according to the report.

Maj. Gen. Abdul Jalil Mahdi, director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Dubai Police, said 94 and 263 people are in police custody in heroin and hashish cases respectively. There are 39 and 74 defendants in opium and marijuana cases respectively. In cocaine and qat cases, they are 26 and three respectively.

Four people are held in poppy cases while 102 people were charged in crystal (chibo) cases. 512 people were arrested for possession of narcotic pills while 96 were accused of trafficking more than one type of drug.

The report said there was a sharp increase in narcotic pills trafficking cases last year which totalled 382 or 43.7 per cent of the total drug seizures cases of 873. Cannabis accounted for 187 cases or 28.5 per cent of the total.

GCC nationals topped the list of the accused in drug cases at 495, followed by foreigners at 486. The number of expatriate Arabs involved were 239.

345 of the arrested people belong to the 26-30 age group. There were 251 people in the 31-35 age group and 60 people over 46 years of age.

The number of people held for drug abuse are 489 and 380 for possessing drugs. 191 people were charged with smuggling drugs, 110 for promoting them, 40 for dealing in drugs, nine for importing them and one for cultivating drug-producing plants.