2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004412

SIPDIS

JUSTICE FOR OIA, AMFLS, AND NDDS
DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL
STATE FOR INL, NEA/ARP, NEA/RA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM AE
SUBJECT: 2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report,
United Arab Emirates: Drug and Chemical Control

Ref: State 157136


1. (U) Summary: 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 and Pakistan. 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. In February 2005, the UAE 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. DEA
also established a country office in the UAE to enhance cooperation
with UAE law enforcement authorities. The UAE is a party to the 1988
UN Drug Convention.


2. (U) Status of Country: 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, 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 is not usually subjected
to the same inspection as other goods that enter the country.


3. (U) Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005
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 for
trafficking, 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. In September of 2005,
the UN established a sub-office on Drugs and Crimes in the UAE. 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.


4. (U) Law Enforcement Efforts. In 2005, UAE counter narcotics
forces reported 862 drug cases and arresting a total of 529 people.
This marked a decrease from 2004, when officials arrested 1,419
people in 901 cases. The largest number of arrestees were Emirati
nationals (217) followed by Iranians and Pakistanis. In 2005, UAE
officials seized 6 kilograms of opium, 185 kilograms of heroin, and
242 kilograms of hashish. In the first four months of 2006, UAE
officials seized 94 kilograms of hashish, 46 kilograms of heroin, 9
kilograms of opium and 85, 040 narcotic tablets; Punishment for drug
offences in the UAE 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. UAE authorities continue
to take seriously their responsibility to interdict drug smuggling
and distribution. In May 2005, Dubai police announced that they had
seized 200 kilograms of hashish from two "Asians" who were
attempting to sell it. This has been the largest seizure of hashish
in Dubai to date. UAE authorities 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 "Captagon," which was being smuggled in 2 buses traveling
from Eastern Europe to Dubai. In November 2006, the Dubai Criminal
Court sentenced two Pakistanis and one African to life imprisonment
for smuggling heroin into the UAE with the intent of trafficking.
One of the Pakistani drug smugglers was caught at the Dubai
International Airport with 40 capsules of heroin each weighing 9
grams, which he had swallowed.


5. (U) Corruption: 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. There is
no evidence that corruption-including narcotics related
corruption-of public officials is a systemic problem.


6. (U) Agreements and Treaties: 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. The UAE recently ratified the UN
Convention against Corruption.


7. (U) 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.


8. (U) Drug Flow/Transit. High volumes of shipping render the UAE
vulnerable to exploitation by narcotics traffickers. The UAE-Dubai,
in particular-is a major regional transportation and shipping hub.
Narcotics smuggling from South and Southwest Asia continues to
Europe and Africa and to a significantly lesser degree to 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 2005. 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.


9. (U) Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). A 2003 report noted
that the majority of UAE drug users take their first doses abroad,
primarily because of peer pressure. Statistics reveal that 75
percent 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 reflective of current
societal patterns. The focus of the UAE's domestic program is to
reduce demand through public awareness campaigns directed at young
people. The UAE has also established rehabilitation centers.


10. (U) 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 not turn
themselves in to local authorities are referred to the legal system
for prosecution.


11. (U) Third-country nationals or "guest workers" who make up
approximately 80 percent of the 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.


12. (U) U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs
and Bilateral Cooperation: The DEA Administrator visited the UAE in
July 2005 to enhance counter-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.


13. (U) The Road Ahead: 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.
SISON