The UAE anti-narcotics forces seized over 18,000 kilograms of narcotics and prohibited substances and conducted 6,973 arrests related to anti-narcotics last year.
The announcement came as the UAE marks the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
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According to Brig Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Federal Drug Control Administration at the Ministry of Interior and deputy chairman of the UAE Anti-Narcotics Council, stressed the Ministry of Interior’s efforts helped in curbing the drug supply and demand.
He said under the “We are committed. Drugs are a plague” campaign, attempts to smuggle and proliferate 18,003 kilograms of drugs were thwarted.
“We saw a change in trends related to smuggling and promoting drugs, with online marketing of banned substances posing a challenge, which we dealt with firmly,” he said.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior in coordination with the health services launched the Unified Controlled Medication Platform, a system that allows doctors and pharmacists to register, prescribe and dispense narcotics and controlled/semi-controlled medications.
The platform aims to make the tracking of prescriptions easier and regulate the controlled medication. (RA)
