UAE CONTRIBUTION TO 2005-2006 INCSR, NARCOTICS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 005111

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, INL
JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS, AND NDDS
TREASURY FOR FINCEN
DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR
SUBJECT: UAE CONTRIBUTION TO 2005-2006 INCSR, NARCOTICS

REF: STATE 209558


I. Summary


1. Although not a narcotics-producing country, the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) is believed to be a transshipment point
for traffickers moving illegal drugs from the major drug
producing countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
Iran. Frequent reports of seizures of illegal drugs in the
UAE over the past few years underscore this conclusion.
Most seizures have been of hashish. There are several other
factors that render the UAE a way station, including its
proximity to major drug cultivation regions in Southwest
Asia and a long (700 kilometer) coastline. High volumes of
shipping render UAE ports vulnerable to exploitation by
narcotics traffickers.


2. The UAE has taken several steps over the last year to
enhance regional cooperation in the fight against illegal
drugs. In September 2005 it opened a regional UN sub-office
on drugs and crime. In February 2005, it signed an MOU with
Iran on cooperation against the trafficking of narcotics and
psychotropic drugs and their precursor chemicals. In
September 2005, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) also
established a country office in the UAE to enhance
cooperation with UAE law enforcement authorities.


3. The UAE is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

II. Status of Country


4. A major regional financial center and hub for commercial
shipping and trade, the UAE is believed to be a
transshipment point for illegal narcotics from the drug-
cultivating regions of southwest Asia, to Europe, to Africa,
and less significantly, to the United States. Western
Europe is the principal market for these drugs, and Africa
is becoming an increasingly prominent secondary market.
Factors that contribute to the role of the UAE as a
transshipment point 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" where
transshipped cargo are not usually subject to inspection, as
are other goods that enter the country.


5. Statistics show a 14.6 percent increase in the number of
drug arrests between 2003 and 2004, with a total of 901
cases in 2004. Of these, 193 (or 21 percent) were for
smuggling.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005


6. Policy Initiatives. The UAE continued 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 for illegal drugs through educational
campaigns, enforcing harsh penalties, and rehabilitating
drug addicts. The UAE's Federal Supreme Court ruled in 2003
that authorities needed proof that drug use occurred in the
UAE before they could prosecute users. A positive blood
test is considered evidence of consumption, but not evidence
of where the consumption took place.


7. Accomplishments. In May, UAE officials discussed ongoing
talks with the Sultanate of Oman on ways to enhance
cooperation on security issues, with a special emphasis on
counter narcotics efforts. At that time, UAE law
enforcement officials told the press that, in 2004, the UAE
had successfully worked with other countries to have 53
people arrested abroad, of whom 41 were extradited to the
UAE. In addition, police said that, during the same time
frame, the UAE had arrested around 73 people at the request
of other (mostly Arab) governments and extradited them.


8. In September of 2005, the UAE established a UN sub-office
on Drugs and Crimes. The UAE government funded the
estimated $3 million cost of the office and contributed an
additional $50,000 to the UN counternarcotics program. The
sub-office is responsible for coordinating national
counternarcotics strategies and integrating them into the
UN's comprehensive global program.


9. Law Enforcement Efforts. In 2004, UAE counternarcotics
forces were active in 901 drug cases arresting a total of
1419 people. This was an increase on 2003, when officials
arrested 1267 people in 786 cases. The largest number of
arrestees was Emirati nationals (405) followed by Iranians
(264) and Pakistanis (164). About 62% of the cases were for
possession or consumption. In 2004, UAE officials seized 50
kg of opium, 91 kg of heroin, and 1777 kg of Hashish. In
the first five months of 2005, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
announced that it had arrested 97 people in 68 cases.


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


11. Punishment for drug offences is severe. A 1995 law
stipulates capital punishment as the penalty for drug
trafficking. No executions for drug trafficking, however,
have ever taken place, and sentences usually are commuted to
life imprisonment.


12. UAE authorities continue to take seriously their
responsibility to interdict drug smuggling and distribution.
In May Dubai police announced that they had seized 200 kg of
Hashish from two "Asians" who were attempting to sell it.
This was the largest seizure of Hashish in Dubai to that
time.


13. UAE authorities also continue to cooperate with other
counties to stop trafficking. This cooperation has resulted
in several arrests. In one case, Dubai police, cooperating
with Jordanian authorities, blocked an attempt to smuggle
2.7 million doses of a banned drug "Keptagon," which was
being smuggled in 2 busses traveling from Eastern Europe to
Dubai. In August, Abu Dhabi police cooperated with
authorities in Kenya to track a ship transiting from an
unnamed Asian country to the port of Mombassa. When the
ship arrived in Kenya, police arrested the traffickers and
seized the narcotics.


14. Corruption. UAE officials aggressively pursue and arrest
individuals involved in illegal narcotics trafficking and/or
abuse. The government of the UAE as a matter of policy does
not encourage or facilitate illicit production or
distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other
controlled substances or the laundering of proceeds from
drug transactions. Senior officials are not known to engage
in or facilitate illicit production of these drugs or the
laundering of proceeds from drug transactions either. There
is no evidence that corruption - including narcotics related
corruption - of public officials is a systemic problem.


15. Agreements and Treaties. The UAE is party to the 1988
UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Conventions as
amended by the 1972 Protocol and the 1988 UN Convention on
Psychotropic Substances. The UAE has signed the UN
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.


16. In January 2005, the UAE signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with Iran on cooperation against illicit
traffic in narcotics and psychotropic substances and
precursor used in their manufacture. In March 2005, the UAE
cabinet approved the MOU.


17. Cultivation/Production. There is no evidence of any
major drug cultivation and/or production in the UAE.
Published records show that there were two cases of
"planting" drugs in the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaima in 2004,
with a total of three people arrested. There is anecdotal
discussion of very small-scale drug manufacturing taking
place in the UAE.


18. Drug flow/transit. Narcotics smuggling from south and
southwest Asia continues to Europe and Africa and to a
significantly lesser degree the United States via the UAE.
Hashish, heroin, and opium shipments originate in
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran and are smuggled in cargo
containers, via small vessels and powerboats, and/or sent
overland via Oman. According to published figures, Iranians
and Pakistanis made up the largest number of non-UAE
nationals arrested in drug cases in 2004 at 18.6% and 11.6%
respectively. 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.


19. Recognizing the need for increased monitoring at its
commercial ports, airports, and borders, the UAE is making
an effort to tighten inspections of cargo containers as well
as passengers transiting the UAE. In December 2004, the
Emirate of Dubai signed the Container Security Initiative
(CSI) with the U.S. CSI inspectors arrived in Dubai in 2005
and are now inspecting containers destined for the U.S.
Customs officials randomly search containers and follow-up
leads on suspicious cargo.


20. Domestic Programs (demand reduction). A 2003 report
noted that the majority of UAE drug users take their first
does abroad, primarily because of peer pressure. Statistics
reveal that 75% of drug users in the UAE prefer hashish, 13
percent use heroin, while six 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 two percent
were university graduates. While the data is a few years
old, trends reported are still likely to be reflective of
current societal patterns.

21. The focus of the UAE's domestic program is to reduce
demand through public awareness campaigns directed at young
people and the establishment of rehabilitation centers. In
June 2005, the UAE issued a postage stamp to highlight the
hazards of drugs as part of its awareness campaign. It also
held a high-profile "Drug Awareness Week" with exhibits
prominently set up in all of the local shopping malls. UAE
officials believe that adherence to Muslim religious morals
and severe prison sentences imposed on individuals convicted
of drug offenses effectively deter 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, 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 no turn themselves in
to local authorities are referred to the legal system for
prosecution. Third-country nationals or "guest workers" who
make up approximately 80% of the population, generally
receive prison sentences upon conviction of narcotics
offenses and are deported upon completing their sentences.


22. 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.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs


23. DEA Administrator Karen Tandy visited the UAE in July
2005 to enhance anti narcotics cooperation with the UAE.
During her visit, she proposed and the UAE accepted
establishing a DEA presence in the UAE to work closely with
UAE authorities. The first DEA office was established in
September 2005 in Dubai. A second office will be
established in Abu Dhabi in 2006.


24. The UAE and the U.S have held the first round of
discussions on MLAT and extradition treaties, which when
completed would facilitate the exchange of information
related to drug and financial crime. The USG will continue
to encourage the UAE to focus enforcement efforts on
dismantling major trafficking organizations and prosecuting
their leaders and to enact export control and border
security legislation.

QUINN