DOHA: The two-day Qatar International Anti-Drug Forum organised by the Ministry of Interior yesterday ended with a call for an early warning observatory to combat new trends in the field of drugs at regional and Arab levels.
The ‘International Experience in the Detection of Trafficking Routes, Itineraries and Methods of Concealment’ forum also called for development of technical, human and technological capabilities and inclusion of anti-drug provisions criminalising drug promotion through the Internet.
Experts also called for regulatory mechanisms to enhance control and surveillance over the trading of chemical precursors and urged bilateral and multilateral agreements to combat drugs.
The forum stressed the importance of promoting comprehensive preventive education as one of the pillars of the balanced approach between drugs supply and demand.
It called for adoption of a media code of conduct to support efforts towards drug prevention and stressed the need to strengthen community participation within the legal and security mechanisms in the fight against drugs.
Staff Maj. Gen. Saad bin Jassim Al Khulaifi, Director-General, Public Security, and Chairman of Permanent Committee for Drug and Alcohol Affairs (PCDAA), delegations and officers from the ministry attended the closing ceremony.
Al Khulaifi praised discussions held in two days and recommendations made to combat the drug menace.
Lt. Col. Ibrahim Al Sameeh, Secretary, PCDAA, presented recommendations reached by participants.
The first session of the second day of the forum chaired by Brig. Eisa Aamal Qaqish, Director, Arab Office for Drug Prevention, discussed methods of trafficking.
The first paper presented by Capt. Muhammed Abdullah Al Khatir, Head of Studies and International Affairs Section, Drug Enforcement Department at the ministry spoke about the types of drugs trafficked through Qatar and the department’s experience in preventing them.
He said no cases of drug trafficking through sea borders were reported because of coordination with Coasts and Borders Security Department.
GCC Criminal Information Centre for Combating Drugs presented a paper on trafficking routes and methods of concealment in the Gulf. It was presented by Ahmed Abdullah Almashrafi who explained drug cultivation and trafficking routes.
He said trafficking routes are changing and vary based on the types of drugs, adding anything composed of two parts can be used to hide narcotics between them.
He said new methods have been discovered such as soap and water pipes and wire.
He also spoke about challenges facing the region, the emergence of new types of psychotropic substances in the markets without criminalisation, use of speed post services as a means of drug trafficking, use of the Internet to promote and trafficking illegal drugs, difficulty of balancing between the tourist and economic movement of the country and checking on passengers and cargo, use of social media for communication between traffickers and dealers, smugglers exploiting transit through non-drug-producing countries and the smuggling of drugs via manufactured materials such as furniture, auto parts and other things.
Other papers on the second day were: The Chinese experience in combating drug by Dr Nalanga Samursina; Role of UNODC in international cooperation by Judge Hatem Ali, Head, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for GCC countries; and Role of international authority in combating drug by Maj. Gen. Ahmed Kamaluddeen Samak.
The Peninsula
