Abu Dhabi police busted 2 men trying to distribute 172 kgs of hashish

Police in Abu Dhabi recently arrested two men for attempting to sell and distribute 172 kilograms of hashish in the UAE in a case now known as "The Poisons of Darkness," according to Gulf News.

Colonel Taher Ghareeb Al Dhaheri, director of Abu Dhabi's Police Drug Control department, said that "preliminary information" initiated the drug bust which ultimately led the police to the traffickers. 

The suspects were detained at their residence. They were found with 92 kgs of hashish, with another 80kg found in another emirate, half a kilo of opium and a pile of money of different currencies.

In an >article published by The National in 2014, a study revealed that drug use in the UAE has risen by 526 percent in the last 30 years. 

Such a high statistic rings true, despite the fact that in 2008, the UAE was listed as the country with the "longest list of banned substances," according to The Guardian.

The list includes commonly found drugs such as anti-depressants and codeine.

Drug addiction costs the UAE 5.5 billion dirhams each year, as revealed by The National.

However, in recent years, the war on drugs in the UAE has intensified. Police have jointly collaborated with various institutions to combat substance abuse.

In 2016, Dubai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Department >launched a six-minute video titled "A Soul's Tale" on social media with the sole purpose of combating drug use. 

In 2016, the narcotics law in the UAE was amended. The changes saw prison sentences reduced to 2 years, down from 4 years in previous years. 

Judicial authorities were also given other options when dealing with drug users. This includes fining violators and sending them to rehabilitation facilities instead of imprisoning them. 

Since the law came into effect, more than 100 drug users have come forward voluntarily or whose families have turned them in for help, according to The National.