Dubai Police's anti-narcotics efforts lead to 190 arrests, massive drug seizures in 43 countries

Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, on Sunday, commended the role of the police in combating narcotics locally and internationally by exchanging 653 pieces of vital information with police departments across 43 countries.

This coordination and exchange of information proved critical in the arrest of 190 suspects and the seizure of 15 tonnes and 291 kilograms of drugs. This was announced on the eve of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is marked on June 26 globally.

Al Marri attributed success in combating this menace to the constant guidance and follow-up of Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.

The Dubai Police recorded a 36.2 per cent increase in the number of arrests of drugs and psychotropic substance traffickers last year. While the number of arrests of drug promoters witnessed a 33.3 per cent rise in 2022 and a 20.3 per cent increase in the success rate of detecting drug users.

Awareness among students

Al Marri also highlighted the role of the Hemaya International Centre, affiliated with the General Department of Anti-Narcotics, in educating the youth about the dangers of drugs and psychotropic substances.

Hemaya held awareness campaigns in 210 government and private schools, delivered lectures to 79,716 students, conducted sports activities for 9,262 students, and conducted military activities for 10,444 students, and published electronic awareness bulletins that benefited 201,428 students per issue.

More than 50,000 people benefited from the Centre's various community field events, 37,418 from lectures, 10,947 from workshops, and 9,416,881 from the Centre's publications.

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