Trafficking Of Narcotic In The GCC Countries

Running head: DRUG TRAFFICKING 1

Trafficking of Narcotic in the GCC Countries

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

DRUNG TRAFFICKING 2

Trafficking of Narcotic in the GCC Countries

Issue

Illicit trafficking of narcotics in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC) has

become a menace over the last decade. It is believed that the colossal amount of money

generated from the illegal trade is used to fund criminal groups such as Al Qaeda. This is a major

crime considering that the region observes strict rules and religious norms.

Background

The problem of narcotics no longer affects a single country or a group of nations. It also

causes massive decline in the health of individuals, families, and communities (Middle East and

North Africa Financial Action Task Force [MENAFATF], 2011). Additionally, drug trafficking

increases crime rates, corruption, and violence. Although illegal drug trafficking does not

directly lead to violence, enough evidence is available concerning the relationship between the

trade and insecurity (Snyder & Duran, 2009). Numerous finances and other resources are used to

combat the illegal drug trade at the expense of social and economic development. The problem is

more rampant in developed countries such as the United States. In the GCC, the issue is a prime

concern in Dubai where thousands of individuals are involved in it. For example, several British

expatriates have been jailed by Kuwaiti’s criminal court after they were found guilty of

smuggling drugs into the country. Rutherford, a civil contractor, was arrested while trafficking

49 kilograms of hashish (Alarabiya.net, 2017). In 2009, several American nationals were arrested

for peddling cannabis in Kuwait through the military postal services.

Security forces in Dubai have conducted major drug raids targeting the foreigners.

During these operations, hundreds of kilograms of heroin and over 650, 000 Captagon pills have

been recovered by the police and customs department (Alarabiya.net, 2017). Notably, many

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immigrants to GCC from the Western states blatantly flout the local laws. For example, about 60

British citizens have been incarcerated in the GCC in the last one year for drug-related offenses.

Again, another renowned artist was sentenced to a four-year jail term after he was found in

possession of two kilograms of cocaine and other substances. Apart from that, a UN’s agency,

International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), which monitors drug activities, warned the GCC

of an increasing trend in the number of drug traffickers in the region (Alarabiya.net, 2017). In the

report, it cautioned that heroin and cocaine are frequently smuggled through the network of

airports, free zones, and marine ports with the United Arab Emirates being the major entry point.

Additionally, the counter-narcotics agency informed the GCC head that drug barons were

increasingly taking advantage of the war and political turmoil in Iraq to smuggle drugs into the

country. INCB categorically highlighted that heroin, cannabis, and cocaine were transported

from Mexico and the U.S. to Jordan and later to the Arabian Peninsula. Notably, Iraq, Syria, and

Jordan are the crucial smuggling zones used by barons to gain access to the GCC. Interestingly,

the Gulf Region would not be termed as an area of concern in relation to drugs due to the strict

rules. Evidently, the governments of particular countries within the region have stringent

regulations that are clearly stipulated in the Quran. Researchers have noted an unusual concern

that the GCC has for a long time been termed as a drug-free zone. Nonetheless, the trade zones

have been converted to international transit points for most of the illicit narcotics (Alarabiya.net,

2017). Other interesting statistics reveal that one-third of all global seizures of illegal drugs

happened in Saudi Arabia, GCC’s largest country. During the operation, over 50 million tablets

of Captagon, 70 kilograms of heroin, and 17 tons of hashish were seized between January and

April in 2009 (Alarabiya.net, 2017). With such outrageous statistics, necessary measures need to

be put in place to curb the rising cases of drug trafficking within the GCC countries.

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Analysis

After the grand drug seizure at Saudi Arabia, the directors of anti-drug abuse at the GCC

converged in Qatar to deliberate on the way forward. Their aim was to develop and strengthen

coordination among member states to aid in fighting drug peddling. During the meeting, several

policies were drafted to help in curbing the menace. First, they unanimously agreed to set up a

unitary anti-criminal strategy aimed at addressing issues of international crime. Notably,

narcotics traffickers that have high organizational structures such as Hizballah operate globally.

They trade in the United States, Lebanon, Burma, and Colombia. For example, in a raid

conducted in 2008, more than 130 criminals were arrested and about 360 kilograms of cocaine

seized (Killebrew, 2011). A majority of the arrestees were Lebanese allied to an international

militant group, Taliban which is affiliated to Al Qaeda. This law allowed the local authorities in

the GCC countries to arrest, prosecute, and jail drug barons. Again, if an Iraqi citizen was

arrested in the UAE either smuggling or peddling narcotics, the policy provided for immediate

prosecution in the country of arrest. The law abolished the safe repatriation clause in every

country that required foreign arrestees to be deported to their countries for trial. The policy is

still effective and has greatly facilitated the reduction of illicit drugs in the GCC bloc.

The attending members noted with great concern that corruption at the customs offices as

well as the clearance sections in the airports heavily contributed to smuggling of drugs into the

region. Apart from that, they pointed out that security agencies were mostly compromised by

traffickers to allow the passage of narcotics (United Nations, 2009). As a result, they had to draft

a policy to reduce this aberrant behavior. The Dubai’s representative proposed a law that could

first address the crimes that generate corruption and violence. In this regard, they agreed to have

a comprehensive rule based on reducing demand and supply. Since they realized that some

DRUNG TRAFFICKING 5

traffickers had started planting the drugs in secluded places, they agreed to use helicopters to

spray and destroy them. Again, they resolved to increase awareness on the effects of drug use

and trafficking through various media platforms and civil societies (Kuna, 2017). The policy was

effective even though it failed to provide a long-term solution.

Finally, GCC’s Anti-Narcotics directors resolved to establish a common police agency to

solely handle drug trafficking and peddling both internally and internationally. They agreed to

allocate sufficient financial resources towards the same and purchasing advanced equipment that

could detect drugs (United Nations, 2009). The troops were dispatched to the major sea ports,

airports, customs offices, and the boarders as those were the major entry and exit points. Few of

them were assigned to guard the major cities and report any drug-related activities. In the first

three years of operation, the agency was effective as it confiscated massive volumes of different

types of narcotics. It succeeded in informing the general public about the various effects of drug

abuse and trafficking (Sweileh et al., 2014). The Drug Combating Unit held frequent progress

evaluation meeting with the GCC’s Anti-Drug directors. However, after some time, the agency

lacked a clearly defined structure of operation and started weakening. It was later abolished in

December and left the country susceptible to frequent cases of drug trafficking.

Recommendations

Despite the effectiveness of the policies, some changes can be made to the existing ones

to strengthen them and increase their efficiency. Notably, the major drug zone in the GCC area is

Captagon. Since the abolishment of the Drug Combating Unit, the region has been flooded with

drug traffickers and peddlers. Therefore, it would be important to establish a unified GCC team

with the aim of combating narcotics use, arresting the barons, and prosecuting them. Again, the

DRUNG TRAFFICKING 6

directors need to establish an emergency response unit to complement local efforts in the fight

against drug trafficking in the region.

Notably, the directors serving in GCC’s Anti-Drug agency have been working for over 10

years with little success in the fight against drug trade. As such, I would recommend an overhaul

to pave the way for new and vibrant individuals who would more committed to alleviating the

problem. Such a reshuffle effectively introduces a new approach for managing the problem.

Notably, the members have failed in ensuring that the region is free of drug. Therefore, a change

of the agency’s management would guarantee success. Apart from that, each government from

the respective countries needs to amend the existing Anti-Drug laws to allow the GCC members

to wield full authority to arrest and charge those found in possession or trafficking narcotics.

Finally, since the major impediment to fighting drug trafficking is the internal wrangles between

GCC countries, it would be appropriate to adopt a policy that promotes cooperation among the

nations (Killebrew, 2011). Instead of engaging in the supremacy battles, the nations should be

more focused on curbing the menace.

Conclusion

Illegal drug trafficking in has been on the rise in many countries around the globe. The

Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC) has been on the spotlight for an upsurge in such

activities. Notably, the region comprises countries such as Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

Despite the GCC having stringent rules against drug use, trafficking is rampant as the major

seaports and airports serve as the entry and exit points for narcotics. Although numerous policies

have been adopted to curb the menace, little success is achieved due to corruption, extortion, and

other social vices. As such, the existing ones need to be amended or changed altogether. For

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example, the GCC needs to constitute a new body that espouses the values of all countries to

manage the problem.

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References

Alarabiya.Net. (2017, April 9). The Gulf cracks down on major drug trafficking. Alarabiya

News. Retrieved from https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/04/12/70503.html

Killebrew, R. (2011). Criminal insurgency in the Americas and beyond. Prism, 2, 33-52.

Retrieved from http://cco.ndu.edu/Portals/96/Documents/prism/prism_2-

3/Prism_3352_Killebrew.pdf

Kuna. (2017, April 10). Kuwait hails joint effort against drug traffickers. Kuwait Times.

Retrieved from http://news.kuwaittimes.net/kuwait-hails-joint-effort-against-drug-

traffickers/

Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF). (2011). Illicit

trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and money laundering.

Retrieved from

http://www.menafatf.org/images/UploadFiles/Illicit_Trafficking_and_ML_Eng.pdf

Robins, P. (2014). Narcotic drugs in Dubai: Lurking in the shadows. British Journal of Middle

Eastern Studies, 41(2), 151-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2014.878502

Snyder, R., & Duran-Martinez, A. (2009). Does illegality breed violence? Drug trafficking and

state-sponsored protection rackets. Crime, Law and Social Change, 52(3), 253-273.

http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s10611-009-9195-z

Sweileh, W. M., Sa’ed, H. Z., Al-Jabi, S. W., & Sawalha, A. F. (2014). Substance use disorders

in Arab countries: Research activity and bibliometric analysis. Substance Abuse

Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 9(1), 33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-9-33

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United Nations. (2009). Successful fight against drug trafficking, transnational organized crime

requires interlocking national, regional, international strategies, third committee told.

Retrieved from https://www.un.org/press/en/2009/gashc3948.doc.htm

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