International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Volume I: Drug and Chemical Control

Released by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs -2003
March 2004

United Arab Emirates

Volume I: Drug and Chemical Control

Although not a narcotics-producing nation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is believed to be a transshipment point for traffickers moving illegal drugs from the major drug-producing countries, especially Afghanistan, westward. Frequent reports of seizures of illegal drugs in the UAE during the past year underscore this conclusion, although most seizures have been of “soft” drugs like hashish, not “hard” drugs like heroin. Besides the country's general laissez-faire attitude toward trade—although not drugs—there are several other factors that render the UAE a way-station, including its proximity to major drug cultivation regions in Southwest Asia, a long (700 kilometers) coastline, and relative affluence among the local population.

Published statistics on narcotics seizures and domestic addiction reveal a growing drug problem among UAE and third-country nationals, which is notable given the country's harsh drug laws. A Ministry of Health report in late 1998 asserted that there were approximately 12,500 drug addicts in the country of 3.1 million people. The UAE is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

A major regional financial center and hub for commercial shipping and trade, the UAE is a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from the drug-cultivating regions of southwest Asia, to Europe and the United States. Western Europe is the principal market for these drugs. Statistics on drug-related cases released by the UAE government (UAEG) indicate that the majority of arrests for illegal trafficking occur in the northern emirates. Factors that contribute to the prominence of the northern emirates are the emergence of Dubai and Sharjah as regional centers in the transportation of passengers and cargo, a porous land border with Oman, and the fact that a number of ports in the UAE are de facto “free ports”—transshipped cargo are not subject to inspection, as are other goods that enter the country.

Policy Initiatives. The UAE continued in 2003 to advance its national drug strategy based on intensifying security at the country's air and sea ports and patrols along the coastline, reducing demand of illegal drugs through educational campaigns, enforcing harsh penalties, and rehabilitating drug addicts. The UAEG is studying a proposal to establish a federal General Directorate to replace the existing federal committee for fighting drugs. This reorganization, if approved, would mean additional manpower and a larger budget to wage the war on drugs.

The UAE's Federal Supreme Court issued an important ruling in 2003 regarding proof that drug-offenders actually consume drugs in the UAE before they can be prosecuted. The Supreme Court decided that UAE law enforcement officials could not prosecute drug-users if the consumption took place in another country. A positive blood test for drugs is considered evidence of consumption, but does not determine whether the drug-taking occurred in the UAE or abroad.

Law Enforcement Efforts. In 2003, the UAE Ministry of Interior established a countrywide database that is accessible to emirate-level police departments. This is a major step forward in coordinating narcotics-related information throughout the UAE.

Punishment for drug offenses is severe; a 1995 law stipulates capital punishment as the penalty for drug trafficking. No executions, however, have ever taken place, and sentences usually are commuted to life imprisonment. In November, the Dubai Supreme Court handed a death sentence to two of six drug smugglers who set fire to a boat containing cannabis, as the Anti-Narcotics Squad approached them off the Dubai coast. The rest of the gang received life sentences. According to police, the six smugglers were carrying more than 800 kilograms of cannabis on board their boat.

Several other high-profile seizures in 2003 indicate that UAE authorities continue to take seriously their responsibility to interdict drug smuggling and distribution. In June, Dubai authorities seized a shipment of 350 kilograms of opium from a dhow belonging to an Iranian trader. International news wire services reported the event as “the largest ever” seizure of opium in the UAE. As of mid-2003, 525 people had been arrested in the UAE on drug-related charges.

The UAE signed a landmark counternarcotics agreement with Iran in 2003 providing for cooperation against production, distribution, and smuggling of illicit drugs across the UAE-Iran sea border. Press reports note that UAE and Iranian border forces will work together to identify smuggling routes, and jointly conduct some counternarcotics training in 2004. UAE police attended a series of UN-sponsored counternarcotics training programs in Iran in 2003.

Organized crime is not a major security threat in the UAE, but the very public assassination of an infamous Indian gangster and suspected drug-runner in Dubai in January forced the UAE authorities to acknowledge the existence of organized crime in the UAE. Further anecdotal evidence suggests that a Russian mafia is growing increasingly influential in prostitution and the narcotics trade. In 2003, UAE authorities worked to dismantle the activities of Indian and Russian gangs, and extradited a number of henchmen back to their native countries to stand trial.

Corruption. UAE officials aggressively pursue and arrest individuals involved in illegal narcotics trafficking and/or abuse. There is no evidence that corruption, including narcotics-related corruption, of public officials is a systemic problem.

Agreements and Treaties. No extradition or mutual legal assistance treaties (MLAT) exist between the United States and the UAE, although the two countries are exploring whether to negotiate an MLAT. The UAE is party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the 1988 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. The UAE has signed, but has not yet ratified, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

Cultivation/Production. There is no evidence of drug cultivation and/or production in the UAE.

Drug Flow/Transit. Narcotics smuggling from south and southwest Asia continues to Europe and—to a significantly lesser degree—the United States via the UAE. Hashish, heroin, and opium shipments originate in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran and are smuggled in cargo containers, via small vessels and powerboats, and/or sent overland via Oman. The UAE, and Dubai in particular, is a major regional transportation and shipping hub. High volumes of shipping render the UAE vulnerable to exploitation by narcotics traffickers. UAE authorities recognize that the number of human carriers of illicit narcotics transiting local airports is also on the rise. Dubai police foiled 83 attempts to smuggle drugs through Dubai International Airport in 2002. The police also caught a number of traffickers trying to smuggle drugs over the UAE land border by truck and horseback.

Recognizing the need for increased monitoring at its commercial shipping ports, airports, and borders, the UAEG is making an effort to tighten inspections of cargo containers as well as passengers transiting the UAE. Customs officials and inspectors received specialized training on ferreting out prohibited items from U.S. DHS and Commerce's Bureau of Industrial Security in December 2003. Customs officials randomly search containers and follow up leads of suspicious cargo. Dubai Ports Authority purchased state-of-the-art equipment for rapid, thorough searches of shipping containers and vehicles.

Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). To mark the occasion of International Anti-Narcotics Day on June 26, the UAEG released a report outlining the drug problem in the UAE. The report noted that the majority of UAE drug users take their first dose abroad, primarily because of peer pressure. Statistics reveal that 75 percent of drug users in the UAE prefer hashish, 13 percent use heroin, while 6 percent use morphine. The report illustrates a clear relationship between drug abuse and level of education—75 percent of arrested drug users in 2002 were high school graduates, but only 2 percent were university graduates. Local press reports the street value of one kilogram of Pakistani hashish to be an approximate 5,000 Dirhams ($1,362) in Abu Dhabi and about 4,500 Dirhams ($1,226) in Dubai. The price is said to be highest in Abu Dhabi and Dubai because the customer base in these two emirates tends to be more affluent.

The focus of the UAEG's domestic program is to reduce demand through public awareness campaigns directed at young people and the establishment of rehabilitation centers. UAE officials believe that adherence to Muslim religious mores as well as imposing severe prison sentences for individuals convicted of drug offenses are an effective deterrent to narcotics abuse. An affluent country, the UAE has established an extensive treatment and rehabilitation program for its citizens. There is a rehab center in Abu Dhabi, two in Dubai, and one each in Ajman and Sharjah for those identified as addicts. In accordance with federal law no. 1511995, UAE nationals who are addicted can present themselves to the police or a rehabilitation center and be exempted from criminal prosecution. Those nationals who do not turn themselves into local authorities are referred to the legal system for prosecution. Third-country nationals or “guest workers,” who make up approximately 80 percent of the UAE's population, generally receive prison sentences upon conviction of narcotics offenses and are deported upon completing their sentences.

Most UAE nationals arrested on drug charges are placed in one of the UAE's drug treatment programs. They undergo a two-year drug rehabilitation program, which includes family counseling/therapy. The Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah announced in June that it would require former addicts to undergo a weekly blood test for an additional two years upon completing the drug treatment program. Ras Al-Khaimah authorities discovered that some resume taking drugs, even after completing the rehabilitation program. The police issue a search warrant for the drug addict if he or she misses a scheduled blood test.

U.S. Policy Initiatives. The U.S. Mission to the UAE seeks continued and enhanced participation by the UAEG in programs dealing with narcotics trafficking, precursor chemicals diversion, border/export control, and money laundering. The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai in 2003 organized, in conjunction with Washington-based agencies, additional training initiatives related to money laundering, border/export control, and the investigation and prosecution of related crimes.

The Road Ahead. The USG will continue to support the UAEG's efforts to devise and employ bilateral/ multilateral strategies against illicit narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The USG and UAE are actively considering whether to negotiate an MLAT treaty, which would facilitate the exchange of information related to drug and financial crimes. The USG will encourage the UAEG to focus enforcement efforts on dismantling major trafficking organizations and prosecuting their leaders, and to enact export control and border security legislation.