576 families in UAE save their drug-addicted members under new anti-narcotics law

Dubai: Over the past five years, 576 families saved their relatives from drug addiction by taking advantage of Article 89 of the new anti-narcotics Law, officials revealed on Sunday.

Recent figures published by the Hemaya International Centre at the General Department of Anti-Narcotics the Dubai Police showed that the families had reported their drug-addicted relatives in line with the new law, which states that no criminal proceedings will be initiated against abusers of narcotics or psychotropic substances who willingly present themselves - or are presented by a family member - to an addiction treatment unit, the public prosecution, or the police requesting treatment.

The figures were announced during the department’s annual inspection by Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, in the presence of Expert Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation; Brigadier Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, Director of the General Department of Anti-Narcotics; Brigadier Dr Saleh Al Hamrani, Deputy Director of the General Department for Excellence and Pioneering, and a number of senior officers and employees.

Arrests and seizures

According to the annual report, the General Department of Anti-Narcotics also seized more than 6.6 tonnes of drugs and narcotic pills in 2021. It also contributed to the arrest of 46 per cent of suspects involved in drug-related cases and 47.2 per cent of the total amount of drugs seized in UAE in 2021.

International tip-offs

Last year, the Department also passed on 89 security tips to 27 countries in cooperation with liaison officers, which contributed to the arrest of 36 international suspects, with a total seizure of more than 4.4 tonnes of drugs. The Department also blocked 340 websites and accounts on social media platforms involved in the trafficking and selling of drugs, which led to the arrest of 91 suspects.