Fujairah: Police in Fujairah have warned drugs are a growing problem in the emirate after figures showed a rise in related offences.

The Anti-Narcotics Department of Fujairah Police arrested 23 suspects between June and early July for drug taking, an official source told Gulf News.

The source said the department seized 733 illegal pills including Tramadol, Artien and Chemadrine during the same period and warned the taking and peddling of drugs in the emirate is on the rise among younger members of the population.

The offenders included 20 Emiratis and three Gulf nationals.

"Some of the suspects were arrested based on information provided to the department, others were caught in alleys, streets and vehicles unconscious because they had consumed narcotics," the source said.

Worrying development

The source said the spike in the number of suspects arrested and the amount of drugs seized was a worrying development.

According to the source, drug use is spreading in schools and he called on parents to keep a watchful eye, particularly on their children's behaviour.

"If parents notice any strange behaviour about their children they must take them to concerned clinic or hospital to check them," the source said.