US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI4566

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 004566 
 
SIPDIS 
 
JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS, AND NDDS 
TREASURY FOR FINCEN 
DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL 
STATE FOR INL, NEA/RA, AND NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, TC 
SUBJECT: 2004-2005 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY 
REPORT (INCSR), UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 
 
REF: STATE 248987 
 
1. The body of this cable is the submission of the narcotics 
section of the 2004-2005 International Narcotics Control Strategy 
Report (INCSR) for the United Arab Emirates. 
 
2.  Begin text: 
 
I. Summary 
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.  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 kilometers) coastline. 
High volumes of shipping render UAE ports vulnerable to 
exploitation by narco-traffickers. 
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. 
II. Status of Country 
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 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"-transshipped cargo are not subject to inspection, as 
are other goods that enter the country. 
In the first half of 2004, Abu Dhabi Police reported that drug 
crimes increased 5% over 2003, with more than 800 drug-related 
crimes, of which more than 100 involved drug smuggling. 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2004 
Policy Initiatives. The UAE continued in 2004 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 
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. 
Anti-drug agencies have been active in 4,774 cases from 1999 to 
September 2004 involving 7,611 suspected drug dealers.  During 
this same time period, officials seized more than 18,700 kg of 
hashish, 400 kg of heroin, and 100 kg of opium, a street value of 
more than $25 million dollars. 
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 June, an Omani policeman 
was sentence to life imprisonment for possessing and smuggling 
drugs over the land border. In December, an Asian woman was 
sentenced to death for drug dealing, although she is appealing 
the verdict. 
Several other high-profile seizures in 2004 indicate that UAE 
authorities continue to take seriously their responsibility to 
interdict drug smuggling and distribution. In July, federal 
authorities seized 203 kg of hashish in a Pakistani ship docked 
at Khor Fakkan Port that were destined for Saudi Arabia. In a 
separate operation, the federal authorities seized more than 50 
kg of heroin en route to Kuwait. Local authorities are also 
working to further secure land borders, with Abu Dhabi Police 
seizing more than 600 kg of hashish transitting the UAE from Oman 
to Saudi Arabia. 
The UAE is increasingly working with other countries to stop 
trafficking gangs.  Cooperation has resulted in arrests in 
several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Pakistan, 
Iran, Australia, Canada, and Holland.  Cooperation has also 
resulted in the arrests of drug gangs in 12 cases with 
neighboring Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. 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. 
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 starting discussions on 
an MLAT and extradition treaty in 2005. 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. 
In November, the UAE announced the establishment of a UN sub- 
office on Drugs and Crimes. The UAE government funded the 
estimated $3 million dollar cost of the office and contributed an 
additional $50,000 to the UN anti-narcotics program. The sub- 
office will operate under the Cairo-based UN regional Office on 
Drugs and Crime, and will be responsible for coordinating 
national anti-drugs strategies and integrating the strategies 
into the UN's comprehensive global program. 
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 Africa 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. 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. In December 2004, the UAE signed 
the Container Security Initiative which will result in the 
tightening and expansion of cargo-reporting requirements. 
Customs officials and inspectors received specialized training on 
ferreting out prohibited items from U.S. DHS and Commerce's 
Bureau of Industry and Security in 2004. UAE authorities also 
received training on seaport interdiction and global 
transshipment this year.  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). 
In 2003, 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 UAE'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 80percent 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. 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
The Road Ahead. The USG will continue to support the UAE's 
efforts to devise and employ bilateral/ multilateral strategies 
against illicit narcotics trafficking, border/export control and 
money laundering. The USG and UAE are starting discussions on 
MLAT and extradition treaties , 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. 
 
End text. 
 
 
SISON