Sharjah: Sharjah Police have urged the public to block and report any phone number that promotes the selling of any kind of controlled medicine or drugs, a senior police official said.
The main challenge police face is the promotion of drugs over the internet, and in particular on social networking sites. Recently, traffickers have sent voice messages or texts to random phone numbers in the UAE to promote drugs.
Lieutenant Colonel Majid Al Asam, director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Sharjah Police, said the force is tracking such numbers, websites and social networks and has already blocked a large number of them.
Lt Col Al Asam called on community members to cooperate with the security officers to tackle drug promotion and to report any suspicious activities on 8004654, Sharjah Police app, website, or emailing dea@shjpolice.gov.ae.
‘Public enemy No.1’
Drugs are “public enemy No.1”, Lt Col Al Asam said, adding that police are working round the clock to keep youngsters safe from traffickers.
“The UAE has a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal drug use and drug trafficking is a serious offence. The rate of illegal drug use in the UAE is low compared with international standards. The renewed war on drugs in schools, on the streets and in public places is more important than ever”, he added.
The drug problem is under control despite the high-tech methods used by traffickers, the director said. The path of drug addiction can end in two ways — either the person will die or he will end up in jail, he warned.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Amer Al Harmoudi, Head of Rehabilitation, said: “Parents should keep a close watch on their children as ignoring or neglecting them could lead them into drug addiction.”
Rashid Al Sheihi, director at Sharjah Police’s Anti-Narcotics Awareness Department, told Gulf News: “We have confiscated a lot of cargo containing drugs. Many drug dealers buy drugs via the internet and send money online, while many websites promote different types of narcotic substances or controlled medicines.”
Some people also deposit money in bank accounts and are then informed about the location of drugs via WhatsApp, he added.
