An unemployed 20-year-old man followed the path of his father who was a drug abuser and dealer. His father was convicted and sent to prison in similar cases. The police arrested the suspect, as it had before with his father. The police arrested the son, who was in possession of a significant amount of drugs in a variety, which were hidden inside a teddy bear, and in water tank on the roof of his house.
Colonel Ibrahim Sultan Al Zaabi, Deputy Head of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Abu Dhabi Police, said: “Recently, anti-narcotic forces at the CID were involved in a high-level operation to arrest the suspect. The dealer, who was very cautious in his method targeting customers from different ages, was arrested after two consecutive months of monitoring.”
According to Colonel Al Zaabi, the seized amount of drugs included three kg of hashish, 4,300 pills (controlled medicine), and .25 kg of heroine, in addition to syringes that contained the liquefied drug. The case was referred to the concerned authorities and it was immediately processed for investigation on wider scale.
“The suspect’s record has one drug abuse case in which he carried out a prison term. His father is convicted in a drug dealing case and is serving a jail term that began in 2012 in a different Emirate. The father has record for dealing, selling, and abusing drugs since 1991,” he said.
Colonel Al Zaabi praised the efforts of anti-narcotic forces in the Abu Dhabi Police, highlighting the collaboration with the Federal Anti-narcotic General Directorate at the Ministry of Interior and the General Department of Anti-narcotics in Dubai Police that helped to foil the attempted drug deal. “Protective eyes will always remain open to guarantee the safety of our homeland, and will always face those who allow themselves to violate the law, which aims to protect our society against this plague,” he commented.
Addressing the community, Colonel Al Zaabi called upon parents to warn their children and to control them, especially the teenagers and youth. “Parents should warn children not to fall in this trap and get involved in drug cases. They should take all necessary and precautionary measures, as protection is a more successful remedy than treatment,” he said.
“A healthy and proper upbringing, based on a social approach and modern scientific child-raising principles, undoubtedly helps to prevent children from falling victims to drug dealers. Teenagers and youths are easily influenced by people surrounding them; they try their best to prove themselves regardless of the means and differ from other age categories by their spirit for adventure without thinking about consequences,” he added.
Colonel Al Zaabi said: “The family, in addition to the social and educational institutions, must help children to get rid of drug addiction in case they start, and they should direct them properly. Parents are rarely bad role models, unlike the mentioned case.”
“Being extremely strict with children can lead them into rebellion and cause them to act out in a show of independence; these children are more likely to get into drug use and its promotion. In such cases, they end up in the company of bad friends and get affected by them,” he added.
CID Deputy Head called on parents to watch their children for any signs or behaviors that accompany drug addiction among youth. “The family is a strong fortress for correct education. It discourages children from falling into drug use and prevents them from veering off the right path and becoming drug dealers or abusers,” he added.