UAE law addresses modern methods of promoting poisons

Bank restriction for those involved in buying drugs via “WhatsApp”

• Messages addressed to random customers through the WhatsApp application.

  From the source

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Lawyers confirmed that the new Law No. 30 of 2021 regarding combating narcotics and psychotropic substances, dealt in detail with the promotion and purchase of drugs through social media, and specified an additional punitive measure of imprisonment, fine and deportation, as it stipulated preventing the convict in these cases from transferring or depositing any money to others. himself or through a third party, for a period of two years after the execution of the penalty.

They pointed out that this penalty was actually applied to two convicts, one of whom is an Arab, who was recently found through investigations to have transferred money to a drug dealer, after the latter communicated with him through what Dubai Police called “anonymous messages”, which reach members of the community randomly through WhatsApp application, to promote different types of drugs.

He was sentenced to imprisonment, a fine, and a ban on transferring or depositing any funds to others by himself or through others for a period of two years.

In detail, the state courts have applied an updated article in the new anti-drug law issued by Decree No. 30 of 2021 related to transferring money to drug traffickers through bank accounts.

The Public Prosecution charged one of the defendants with the accusation of depositing funds for another person with the intention of using them, or with the knowledge that they would be used in the abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, after investigations by the control services and the defendant’s confessions revealed that he had contacted a drug dealer through the “WhatsApp” application, and asked him Provide him with cannabis for a sum of money.

Investigations indicated that the accused deposited the required amount in a bank account in one of the banks, then the merchant sent him a map of the location of the quantity of narcotic he had purchased, in an industrial zone, and he obtained it based on the prior agreement between them, and he used it.

After examining the case and finding the evidence against the accused, the court ruled that he be imprisoned for three months and deported from the state, as he is a resident there. Then, it relied on Article 74 of the new law, and ruled that he be prevented from transferring or depositing funds for a period of two years after the execution of the sentence imposed.

Lawyer Badr Abdullah Khamis said that the reality of the cases of promotion and abuse that the courts have examined recently revealed the spread of a new method in drug promotion, which aims primarily to sell these toxins from a distance, through communication through “Social Media” applications, and then agree on a mechanism Specific to transfer amounts.

He added, "The promoters of these poisons devised this method to complicate the task of the anti-drug agencies in tracking them and reaching them. However, the Emirati legislator did not neglect to keep pace with this development on his part, and included in the new Law No. 30 of 2021 deterrent materials for anyone who engages in these practices."

He pointed out that the law dealt with these crimes in more than one place, the first in Article No. 64, which states that “a penalty of imprisonment or a fine of no less than 50 thousand dirhams shall be imposed on whoever deposits or transfers funds himself or through others or before transferring them to him with the intention of committing any offenses of abuse or personal use of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.

Khamis stressed that from the reality of the issues he dealt with, some people fall into the trap of making it easier to obtain drugs by buying them in this way, which they consider “smart”, because it depends mainly on modern technologies, imagining that they are far from the eyes of the police and the combatants, pointing to The main problem lies in their dealings with unknown persons, who communicated with them with random messages sent via WhatsApp, but it is natural for the security services to keep pace with this development in the method of promotion.

He explained that "there are people who do not have a history, or who are classified as dangerous, or who are habitual users, who fell into this trap out of curiosity in the experience of buying drugs in this way, so they lost their jobs, their lives became complicated, and they were no longer able to support their families."

He pointed out that "the legal consequences, according to the new amendments, are no longer limited to imprisonment and a fine, but rather to restricting financial transactions for a period of up to two years, so this error, which the perpetrators consider simple, has serious consequences."

For his part, lawyer Muhammad Al-Najjar said that many of those who were involved in this type of practice did not expect that their lives would change and complicate just by responding to a text message randomly received through the WhatsApp application.

He added that Article 64, which deals with a freedom-restricting penalty and a fine, and Article 74, which deals for the first time with a two-year financial restriction, were applied to defendants involved in these practices.

He pointed out that the Emirati legislator is clever about these practices, and this reflects the importance of periodic updating of the laws in the country, explaining that the fine that applies to the perpetrators of this crime is not less than 50 thousand dirhams, and imprisonment may reach six months, in addition to deportation, according to the judge’s vision, if The accused was residing in the country.

Al-Najjar stressed that it is necessary to pay attention to Article 74 of the new law, which states: “Anyone who has been convicted of any of the punishable crimes in accordance with the provisions of the Decree-Law is prohibited from transferring or depositing any funds to others, by himself or through third parties, except with a permission issued by the Central Bank of the Emirates. In coordination with the Ministry of Interior, this prohibition continues for two years after the execution of the penalty,” noting that “this procedure is an important legal development, because deterrence according to the new law is not limited to imprisonment or a fine, but extends to banking transactions, because the penalty is of the same type as work.” .

In light of the fact that the accused of committing this behavior violated the rules of banking and misused banking services, it is natural that he will be punished for his behavior and deprived of these services.”

He stressed the possibility of imagining the consequences of depriving a merchant, businessman, or even an ordinary employee from conducting banking transactions for two years, especially in light of our dependence on the banking system in managing our lives, starting from issuing rent checks to paying service fees, and other transactions.

Readers and members of the community reported to "Emirates Today" that they had received text messages via the "WhatsApp" application from foreign numbers, which read, "Peace be upon you, friend. Saman is present, hashish is present, Crystal Larica Tramadol. It is all poisonous," indicating that whenever they block a number They receive messages from another number.

Dubai Police revealed to "Emirates Today" earlier that these messages hide suspicious activity, akin to a drug delivery service, which was monitored and confronted with a systematic campaign, which achieved remarkable field and educational success, called the "unknown messages" campaign.

The campaign, according to the Director of Hemaya International Center in Dubai Police, Colonel Abdullah Al-Khayyat, resulted in the arrest of 100 accused of distributing drugs in this way, in addition to a significant increase in the public reports index on the e-crime platform.

Al-Khayyat explained that the "unknown messages" campaign was launched through two parallel tracks, the first on the ground through the General Administration for Drug Control, and the second on awareness-raising through the Hemaya Center, in cooperation with the partners in the Roads and Transport Authority and the Central Bank.

He pointed out that "the campaign achieved great success, so it was decided to renew it systematically, according to the directives of the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, Lieutenant-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, in light of the remarkable response from community members," stressing that more than 190 million awareness messages were sent to members of the public, and the results were in The index of communications through the “901” call center increased by 33%.

The notification index also increased during the three months to 632 reports, compared to 229 reports during the whole 13 months, with an estimated rate of 158%.

He explained that the Roads Authority promoted the campaign with more than 77 million messages in various modes of transportation, in addition to 91 million messages received by community members through automated teller machines.

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