NAT-190819-Dubai-police-chief-in-meeting-about-drug-seizures-(Read-Only)
Maj Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri chairs a meeting with officers from Dubai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Department. Image Credit: Courtesy: Dubai Police

Dubai: Dubai Police seized 648kg of illegal drugs and blocked 20 websites involved in the trafficking and sale of drugs in the first half of the year.

After a huge success in the war against drugs in Dubai last year, police continued their efforts to seize illegal substances and arrest dealers both inside and outside the UAE.

Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, chaired a meeting with officers from the Anti-Narcotics Department in Dubai Police to evaluate their work in 2019.

Colonel Khalid Bin Moyazeh, deputy director of the Anti-Narcotic Department, briefed Maj Gen Al Merri about the official statistics and new ways being employed to smuggle in drugs.

501 kg

of drugs seized by Dubai Police in 2018, a 47% increase over 2016

He said 648kg of drugs seized in the first half of 2019 included cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, opium and marijuana.

Earlier, Dubai Police said they seized 501kg of drugs in 2018, an increase of 47 per cent from 2016 when officers seized nearly 340kg of drugs.

Col Bin Moyazeh said that police sent 82 important tips to other countries this year that helped arrest 23 suspects outside the UAE. These suspects possessed 330kg of drugs.

In 2018, Dubai Police provided 158 drug tips to countries worldwide which helped in the arrest of 158 drug suspects and seizure of 1,525kg of drugs.

Meanwhile, Dubai Police have blocked 20 websites to curb online purchases of illegal drugs.

1,525 kg

of drugs seized globally in 2018 thanks to 158 tips provided by Dubai Police

Last year, they blocked 44 websites. In 2017, 59 site were blocked.

Col Bin Moyazeh said the police regularly monitors suspicious websites that sell drugs through electronic patrols.

Dubai Police said the electronic patrols search the internet every day to detect suspicious sites and coordinate with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority to block them.

The meeting discussed the new plans and mechanisms employed by the department to continue the war on drugs and to activate educational programmes to spread awareness.