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Diana T Fritz  08/27/2006 04:59:49 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

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UNCLAS        ABU DHABI 05111

SIPDIS
CXABU:
    ACTION: ECON
    INFO:   DEA P/M AMB DCM POL LEGAT

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CDA: MQUINN
DRAFTED: ECON: OJOHN
CLEARED: ECON: ACURTIS, DEA: AHAMIDI, ICE: WWALLRAP, CG: KMORRIS

VZCZCADI819
OO RUEHC RUEATRS RUEAWJA RUEABND
DE RUEHAD #5111/01 3540948
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 200948Z DEC 05
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2838
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASH DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC

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