Pubdate: Sun, 21 Jun 2009
Source: National, The (UAE)
Copyright: 2009 Abu Dhabi Media Company
Contact:  http://www.thenational.ae/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4896
Author: Hugh Naylor

UAE HAS ITS OWN DRUGS PROBLEM, OFFICIAL SAYS

DUBAI // The UAE faces a growing domestic drugs  problem, on top of
dealing with international  traffickers, according to a senior Dubai
Customs  official.

"I would not shut my mouth and say we don't have drug  problems here,"
said Mohammed al Marri, the executive  director of cargo operations.
"Yes, we do have them."

Mr al Marri was speaking after The National was given a  tour of Dubai
Customs' operations at Jebel Ali, the  largest port in the region and
the gateway for most of  the nine million containers that enter Dubai
each year  by sea.

The problem, he said, was an unfortunate side-effect of  the country's
success: "The numbers of people who are  living here are not like the
number who were living  here 10 years ago, so that has had an impact,
that's  for sure."

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the UAE's  population
nearly doubled between 1995 and 2005.

"We have more than 140 nationalities living in this  country, each one
of them coming with their own  backgrounds and their own traditions
and heritage.

"I would say that is one of the major reasons for  seeing an increase
in quantities [of illegal drugs]  coming."

The problem, said Mr al Marri, was compounded by  political
instability elsewhere in the region.

"We know areas in the neighbouring countries are not  quite governed
by the local governments, and the land  has been used for producing
major volumes."

A report released in February by the UN's International  Narcotics
Control Board named the Emirates as "major  exporting and
trans-shipping area" for drugs such as  amphetamines and heroin.

Mr al Marri expressed reservations over the report,  saying there had
been "minimal communication" between  Dubai Customs and the UN agency
that had compiled it.  "The way forward is sitting together and
closing the  gaps, not by pointing fingers at each other," he said.

Since the release of the report, UAE authorities have  given
increasing publicity to the efforts to counter  drug-smuggling. In the
past three months there have  been several large seizures.

In April, Ahmad Ibrahim Saif, the Chief Justice of the  Dubai Criminal
Court, said most cases dealt with by the  court since September had
been drug-related. 
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