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30 people died of drug overdose across UAE in 2013 Amira Agarib / 26 February 2014 The people who died of overdose, were found to be using different kinds of drugs including heroin, amphetamine and keptagon. About 30 people died due to drug overdose across the UAE in 2013, a Sharjah Public Prosecution official said. This year, he said, already six people have died due to drug overdose, including two this month. Pointing out to the increasing drug use in the country, the official warned that drug traffickers are targeting the youth. Ghanim Ali Al Mansour, Head of Prosecution of Anti-Narcotics at the Sharjah Public Prosecution, said most of the people who died of drug overdose are UAE nationals and aged 30 and above. According to Al Mansour, currently the Sharjah Public Prosecution is investigating the death of two persons, who reportedly died of drug overdose. Aged 44 and 45, these men were UAE nationals and resided in Al Khuzama area. People who died of overdose, he said, were found to be using different kinds of drugs including heroin, amphetamine and keptagon. He said the number of people who have died from drug overdose is considered “high” as the monthly average is over two. “We should face the fact that the number of drug-related cases are on the rise,” he said. Drug-related cases referred to the Sharjah Public Prosecution has increased during the past few years. Majority of the drug users in the UAE, especially Sharjah, use tramadol pills, he said, noting the recent police operation, which led to the seizure of 60,000 tramadol pills. “Drug traffickers distribute these drugs among the youth, who get addicted to them after just trying it out. Tramadol, which is supposed to be used for medical purposes, is being used by the youth — sometimes in double doses — to feel active,” he said. He said the smuggled tramadol pills may have a cover of 100 grams, but the real dosage might actually be 400 grams. “So when a person taken a double dose of the drug, he dies,” he said. The UAE, he said, is among the first countries in the Arab world to have banned tramadol. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Taylor Scott International
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