Drug Trafficking in the United Arab Emirates - Research Paper Example

Heading: Drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date: Drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Introduction Over the last couple of decades, trading of illegal drugs has been on the increase in most countries across the world. The global market for manufacturing, distribution as well as sale of drugs has expanded at an alarming rate. Most countries have laws which prohibit drug trade. However, this has not been success to stop this illegal trade. A number of concerned organizations, governmental and non- governmental have continuously engaged in monitoring and carrying out research so as to understand the dynamics of these markets. The efforts have not been very fruitful due to the wide spread of the market and the fact that it is difficult to get detailed information regarding the trade. Drug trading is carried out under high secrecy (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2010, p 61). There are a number of countries which have been highly linked with drug trafficking more than others. Among them include Mexico, West African countries, as well as the Asian countries. United Arab Emirates (UAE) countries have also been highly linked with drug trafficking. Drug traffickers have been able to penetrate to these countries due to its accessibility from the Asian countries where most drugs are manufactured. In the UAE, drug trafficking is not tolerated at all. In fact, it is a crime punishable under the law. The minimum sentence for a drug trafficker is four years. The purpose of this paper is to examine drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It starts with defining what drug trafficking means, then the reasons for drug trafficking are discussed. The paper then ends by assessing the role of law enforcement in addressing drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates as well as the role of international organizations in the fight against drug trafficking. Drug trafficking It also referred to as drug trading. The term drug trafficking can be defined as the possession a given quantity of illegal drugs which are destined to be sold at a different location. It is the trade, cultivation, manufacture as well as distribution and sale of drug substances which have been prohibited by the laws of the given country or by the international laws. Drug trafficking can be done locally between a drug dealer and a user. It can also be conducted internationally where drugs are moved from one nation to another (Bauder 2008 p. 10; Sherman and Tree, 2010 p. 6). It exists in different levels. There is the upper level, middle level and the street level. The trade is carried out by organizations or cartels which can be categorized into four groups namely; communal business, corporations, family businesses and freelance (Natarajan, n.d. p. 273). Drug trafficking can also include being in possession of equipment that are used in the manufacture of the illegal drugs. Illegal drugs are mostly traded in a black market. A black market is one that operates in an environment different from that of formal economy. It is an underground economy market. It is imperative to note that laws that prohibit drug use and the punishment thereby vary depending on the jurisdiction. However, all penalties for drug trafficking are meant to be hard on individuals charged so as to discourage drug trading. Drugtrafficking is a crime that has caused so much concern across the world. In fact, it is a significant source of crime in the world. There is so much danger associated with the use of drug. In addition to drugs causing health problems to those who use them, they are also associatedwith causing people to commit other crimes. Kidnapping, assault, murder and prostitution are among the crimes that are associated with drug smuggling. There are common cases of rivalry between drug trafficking cartels and organization which result to violence. In addition, these cartels may be engaged in violence against police. This causes so much concern to the society. As a result, drug trafficking poses much danger to the society at large and this explains the reason as to why authorities all over the world are working tirelessly to curb the vice. If one is charged with drug trafficking or being in possession of illegal drugs, high penalties such us property forfeiture and hefty fines might be imposed on them. In addition, they can earn themselves some time in prison. Some of the most dangerous drugs include marijuana, methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, PCP and LSD (United Arab Emirates 2012, para 16). Drugs are used mostly in the developed countries such as the United States of America and the European countries. However, most of these drugs are not grown there. They are grown in the developing countries and then transported to developed countries. Drug trafficking is done by organizations and cartels which are very strong. In fact, some of these cartels are well armed, funded and are powerful even more that the governments of the nations in which they are established (Sherman and Tree, 2010 p. 9). Drug trafficking is a capital crime. Over the past couple of years, countries in the United Arab Emirates have been heavily targeted by drug traffickers. There has been increased growth in smuggling of drugs such as heroin and amphetamines to the UAE countries. This was according to the report on world drugs released in the year 2009 by the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC). Drugs in these countries enter through smugglers who are seeking alternative routes to traffic them to other nations. The ports of UAE countries are usually very busyand there are less custom checks. This among the reasons as to why drug trafficking has increased in these countries. Dubai has been mentioned severally as the major point where drugs pass through as they are trafficked to countries such as Malaysia and China. These drugs are usually heroin and they come from Afghanistan which is known as the largest producer of heroin in the world. Saudi Arabia is a major market for amphetamine (Reinl 2009, para 1). Scientists have not been able to carry out successful research that could help them understand the secret under which drug trafficking is conducted. They have used ethnographic methods to understand drug dealing in the streets. However, these methods have not been of much help in understanding the upper level drug trafficking. It is the upper level trafficking that creates and maintains the street trafficking. Reasons for Drug Trafficking People carry put the drug trading business for various reasons. However, no reason is yet to be justified to allow this drug business. The major reason for drug trafficking is to get money. Drug trafficking is viewed as a source of employment by some people. In fact, in countries such as Mexico, drug dealing is one of the largest employers. It is approximated that over 500, 000 people have jobs in drug business. It is important to note that drug trafficking is a very lucrative business. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin are very expensive and have high profits. People who deal with drugs have cartels which are heavily funded. This indicates that this business has a lot of money. Most drug dealers at the upper level are rich tycoons. There are some people who have become addicted to drugs and they would be willing to pay any amount of money to get them. This makes drugs a highly demanded commodity. According to the laws of economics, when demand is high, prices are likely to go up increasing the profitability of the commodity. Individual preference is the other reason as to why people traffic drugs. It may not be a precise reason but it plays a major role in influencing the decision of an individual to join the drug business. Most people who deal with drugs like their jobs and they would do anything to protect themselves. They can even kill just to protect themselves. In fact, those people who deal with drugs have peculiar characters which help them survive in the business. Most of them are violent and killing is not a big deal for them. In addition, lack of education could be another reason that influences drug trafficking. Drug dealers especially at the street level are young men and women and most of them are school drop outs. They either drop out before completing secondary education or they did not join college after high school. Drug dealing can however be influenced by poverty. As it has been mentioned earlier in this article, most drugs are grown in the developing countries and sold to the developed countries. The developing countries grow these drugs and sell them to get money and fight poverty. The above reasons are general to all countries where there is drug trafficking including the United Arab Emirates. Focusing on the United Arab Emirates, there are some unique reasons for drug trafficking in those countries. Drugs being trafficked to China and Gulf countries from Pakistan and Afghanistan pass through the United Arab Emirates (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010 p 61). It is a route through which drugs are trafficked. This because the ports for this countries are usually very busy and they have less strict customs hence making it easy to sneak drugs and escape being arrested. In addition, there are numerous routes by road as well as by air through which drugs can reach the destined nations through the United Arab Emirates countries. This has been a major source of drugs to the UAE countries. It is a major reason as to why drug trafficking in these countries has been increasing so rapidly over the last couple of years. It has been recently been noted that UAE is quickly undergoing a transition from a transit country to become a destiny country for drugs such as heroin which come from Afghanistan. Among the reasons as to why UAE is preferred as a route or as a transit country include its proximity to countries such as Afghanistan which a major drug producer. It is easy to access UAE from Afghanistan along the coastline. In addition, the volume of shipments is so high making the UAE ports highly vulnerable to being exploited by drug traffickers. Reports suggest that drugs are transported by vessels from countries such as Iran and Pakistan to the UAE and then to other destinations which include china, gulf countries among others (Brownfield 2011, p. 622). Methods for drug trafficking Many methods are used by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs. Smugglers use these various methods so as to escape arrest. Actually, due the increased methods of smuggling drugs, it becomes so difficult for police to know which methods they can use to catch drugs being trafficked. The methods used to traffic drugs depend on the type of drugs being smuggled and the destination to which they are being trafficked. A number of drug trafficking methods are discussed as follows; There are personal methods and impersonal methods of transporting drugs and the exact method to be used depends on these two factors. In case of personal methods of trafficking drugs, an individual transports drugs in person to where they are destined. In the case of capsule drugs, they can be swallowed and transported while in the stomach. This is usually a risky method because it might result to death of the trafficker. However, the desire for money makes it more preferable than the life of an individual. Capsule drugs may include drugs such as heroin. For instance, in the year 2006, an Australian woman was caught trafficking 320 capsules of heroin which were over 330 grams in her stomach. Drugs can be put in balloons or in condoms and then swallowed by help of lubricants. Upon reaching destination, the traffickers use laxatives to retrieve them. Some drug traffickers sew under animal skins since animals are not searched and therefore it is easy for the drugs to pass search points.Further, drugs can be transported in bags or in suitcases. An individual puts drugs in a bag or in a suitcase and feigns to carry genuine items in those bags (RIA Novosti 2012, para 13). Drugs can also be transported in household items. They can also be transported in vehicles and in freight containers. Drugs have in several occasions been found in car engines, car doors, spare tire wheels, seats, dashboards, additional gas tanks and car compartments among other places. While being transported in other public means of transport such as trains, ships and planes, they are usually concealed in the restrooms. They are also hidden in furniture parts or in clothes. This makes it very difficult for traffickers to be exposed hence making it so difficult to control drug trafficking. Personal concealments are other methods that have been developed by drug smugglers to transport drugs (Thampsom 2012, para 3). Conceals are now being carried in person. For instance, women are known for replacing their bra padding with drugs such as cocaine as well as other powdered drug substances. Also, jacket padding and shoe soles are replaced in a similar manner. Advanced methods of drug trafficking include cases where obese people are used to transport drugs. Packages of drugs are hidden under their fat rolls. This is a method where drugs are not easily detected and it can even evade top searches. Children have also been used as couriers (Thampsom 2012, para 4). They are preferred since they are mostly passed over during searches and therefore drugs escape being detected. In Mexico, some drug smugglers soak clothes in liquid heroin and pack them in suit cases.They then sneak it into the United States of America. Once they reach America, the shirts are washed off and the heroin is turned into powder (RIA Novosti 2012, para 13). Drug trafficking can also be done impersonally. This is the case whereby drug traffickers are not involved directly in transporting the drugs.These methods are used by smugglers who want to reduce their chances of being caught. Drugs are usually sent to countries such as Russia and the United States of America through shipments.In the year 1993, a shipment of cocaine was seized at the check point of Torfyanovka customs. Drugs purchased from Colombia by a Russian organization were being imported into Russia packed in cans and being transported as canned meat. Actually, shipping operations offer many options to smugglers since drugs can be packed with almost any product (Thampsom 2012, para 12).Another method through which drugs can be trafficked is being put and trafficked as parcels, packages or letters. Expressed deliveries are preferred since they might escape without being checked due to the high pressure for quick delivery of the packages (Thampsom 2012, para 11). Public transit has also been used for drug trafficking. Drug traffickers hire public transits where they hide their cargo. They remove the cargo once it reaches destination. This method is safer for them since they can easily deny a crime if the vehicle is searched and drugs found (Thampsom 2012, para 8). They can also decide to hire a shipment where the drugs are hidden in hulls of the vessels. Other traffickers take advantage of the innocent people using public means of transport. They plant drug packages on the civilians or in the cargos of civilians. They later retrieve the cargo once it reaches destination. Cargo handlers are also bribed at the airports so that they place drugs into certain bags (Thampsom 2012, para 10). As methods of fighting drugs continue to emerge, smugglers are constantly finding new methods of transporting drugs. It is difficult for the law enforcers to keep up with the rate at which new methods of trafficking drugs are emerging. It is imperative to not that while the methods of fighting drugs continue to become effective, the income traffickers get continue to rise. This is because there are people in the world who must get those drugs at any cost. As the fight against drugs becomes effective, fewer drugs are transported and therefore the supply is low. For those who succeed in smuggling them, they sell them at high prices hence get more income. Role of law enforcement in addressing drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates All over the world, drug trafficking is considered a crime and laws have been implemented to deal with drug traffickers. Most countries have punishments which are usually heavy to discourage drug trafficking. One of the major reasons as to why drug trafficking cause so much concern to the world is due to the number and nature of other crimes associated with the trade. Most drug traffickers are violent causing unease to the society. In the United Arab Emirates, zero tolerance is allowed to drug trafficking. It is highly punishable under the UAE laws. In fact, the minimum sentence for a drug trafficker is four years. The crime can even lead to death sentence. The severity of the punishment is dependent onthe type of drugs being trafficked and the cases at hand (United Arab Emirates 2012, para 16). The main organ that works to enforce the laws against drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates is the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime as well as the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC). The UAE countries have been working with these international organizations to fight drug trafficking in the nations. In addition, domestic authorities have implemented laws and regulations to stop drugs in the UAE. Countries in this region are not major drug producers. In fact, there has not been any evidence indicating drug being produced or cultivated in the United Arab Emirates countries (United Arab Emirates 2012, para 16). In the year 1996, legislation was enacted in the UAE imposing a death sentence to any convicted drug smuggler. In January of the year 2006, it was passed that if a foreigner transiting the United Arab Emirates is caught with even traces of an illegal drug, he or she will get a lengthy imprisonment (U. S. Department of State 2012, para 23). Most drugs that enter the United Arab Emirates are usually on transit destined to other nations. This has resulted to the UAE countries also being converted from transit countries to station countries. As a measure to counter this, the governments of these nations have taken measures to intensify searches and security at major ports through which drugs are smuggled. Most of these ports are along the coastline of the UAE countries. They also try to reduce the demand for drugs through creating awareness to the citizens. There are education programs which are aimed at educating people against drugs. The countries also offer rehabilitation programs to those who have become drug addicts. Harsh penalties are also imposed on drug traffickers. In the year 2003, the UAE Federal Supreme Court ruled that before a drug user is prosecuted, there has to be proof that drug use actually occurred in the United Nations Emirates. Blood test is taken to proof drug consumption (Embassy Abu Dhabi, 2007). However, it does not give proof of where the drug was actually consumed. In the year 2007, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime signed a project worth $1.2 million with the Dubai police. The objective of the project was to fight against drug smuggling and drug use in the UAE. In the project, the Dubai police are to play a major role in countering the increasing drug smuggling as well as drug use in the UAE. On the other hand, the UNODC will help the Dubai police by upgrading the Dubai Police Training Centre to make it a center of excellence for knowledge transfer. It is also committed in ensuring training of staffsthat have the ability to enforce the law and that have the skills that are required to in order to cope with the increased use of illegal drugs. UNODC is also committed to help the UAE in general to develop effective actions against drug trafficking and drug abuse among the youths. The UAE funded a sub –office on drugs and crime established in Dubai in the year 2005 with a reported $3 million (Embassy Abu Dhabi, 2007). Role of international organizations in the fight against drug trafficking No nation tolerates drugs in the world. However, the fight against drug trafficking has net been an easy one due to the complication of drug trafficking organizations and cartels. In addition, the trade is conducted under high level of secrecy making it difficult for the governments and law agencies to acquire any information regarding it. International organizations that traffic drugs are usually well funded and heavily armed even that some of the governments in the countries where they operate making it so difficult for the law to deal with them. However, there are international efforts to fight against the vice. Various international organizations as well as governments have joined hands in the fight against drugs. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) and UNDCP (United Nations Drug Control Program) are among the international organizations which have embarked in the fight against drugs smuggling. Other international organizations in this fight are the World Customs Organization (WCO) aswell as the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). These organizations have initiated projects where police officers, custom officers, managers and other officers will be trained by experts on how to deal with drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is an issue of much concern all over the world and that is the reason as to why organizations are committed to ensuring it ends. It increases the level of insecurity;it is a barrier to development, as well as increased weakening of states as a result of crime (Tucci and Nel 2007, para 1). The Interpol intelligent officers are concerned with identifying emerging trends of drug smuggling as well as detecting international criminal organizations which are involved in drug trafficking and other crimes. Further, the Interpol assists all international bodies in enforcing the laws against production, abuse and smuggling of illegal drugs. INTERPOL does this by; collecting data from other countries and analyzing it so as to acquire intelligence reports and then disseminate the reports to the countries concerned for them to take the necessary actions. The organization also supports and responds to investigations regarding drug trafficking internationally. In case of an investigation involving two countries, INTERPOL may assist in coordinating the investigation. Where INTERPOL identifies links in a case being investigated, it organizes working meetings between the countries involved (INTERPOL 2012, para 4). The United Nations (UN) is another international organization that is committed to ending drug trafficking in the world. The efforts by the UN are on the basis of three conventions namely, “ Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (amended by the 1972 protocol), Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971; and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988” (France at the United Nations, 2012 para 6). Members of the European Union are also concerned with the increased drug trafficking. They institutions of the EU claim that drug trafficking are a concern to both the public order and public health. Countries which are members of the EU are heavily affected by drug trafficking and this explains one of the reasons as to why they are so committed to ensuring drug trafficking is reduced if not fully curbed. They have implemented measures against the vice. The measures are dependent on the various nations and their geographical location. EU enacted laws on anti- drug strategies in the year 2005. It also has 2009-2012 action plans which advocate for global approaches that will help in reduction of supply and demand of illegal drugs (Council of the European Union 2012, p 1). Conclusion Drug trafficking is a crime that has caused much concern in the entire globe. It is increasing an alarming rate. This has called for action to be taken by all nations. Very few countries are not affected by drug trafficking if any and therefore it is an issue of global concern. Among the top world producers of drugs include Columbia which is known for production of cocaine and Afghanistan which is known for production of heroin. United Arab Emirates countries have been used mostly as transit countries by drug traffickers. This is mostly due to their proximity with the top producers such as Afghanistan. Drugs being trafficked to China and African countries are passed through UAE ports. The ports are busy and are said to have lessor strict customs making it easy for smugglers to pass drugs through them. However, over the last few years, the UAE countries have undergone transition from transit countries to station countries. This has called for action from the UAE governments to ensure that no drugs come through their ports. The UAE governments are working in conjunction with other international organizations to end drug trafficking in the region as well as in the whole world. The efforts to end drug trafficking has been barred by the fact that new methods of trafficking drugs are emerging each day and the secrecy under which the drugs are trafficked is too high making. This makes it difficult to get information that can be used to get the drug traffickers. Reference List Bauder, J. (2008).Drug trafficking. New York: Greenhaven Press. 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