Dubai Police has arrested 280 suspects in a WhatsApp drug delivery service targeting users in the UAE. According to police, the suspects used WhatsApp to send messages to random people to sell illegal drugs, including hashish, crystal methamphetamine and banned painkillers. The buyers would then pay by making a fund transfer to the seller’s bank account, and would be sent GPS coordinates for the location where they can find the drugs, usually buried in remote areas. Major General Eid Thani Hareb, director of the anti-narcotics department at Dubai Police, said the suspects were arrested as part of a major campaign between June and December last year. During this period, police also blocked around 600 social media accounts linked to drug deals. Hareb said the arrests were done in collaboration with the Economic Security Centre of Dubai. He said that intelligence officers analysed data from social media platforms to identify the suspects and trace the bank payments. Police found that the suspects opened various bank accounts using Emirates ID details of workers or children. The Economic Security Centre of Dubai identified 810 suspicious bank accounts, which were then frozen after 4,560 suspicious deposits were recorded. Hareb said that parents used their children’s Emirates ID to deposit money in the drug traffickers’ bank accounts in order to buy illegal drugs. Under the UAE law, anyone found transferring money or depositing money to buy drugs will face a fine of up to Dh50,000 and or jail time. They will also be banned from depositing or transferring money to others for two years after serving their sentence. According to the UAE Public Prosecution, the penalties also apply to anyone who assists in depositing or transferring funds for drug trafficking. Receiving funds related to the use or personal possession of drugs also carries the same penalties. ICA/Expat Media ALSO READ: Dh50,000 fine for money transfers for drug trafficking
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