UAE Expert Warns Of Drug Networks Using Social Media, Encrypted Apps To Target Youth

Drug networks are exploiting social media, encrypted messaging apps and electronic payments to reach young people, making digital awareness a crucial part of protecting them, a UAE anti-narcotics adviser warned on Thursday.

Dr Abdullah Al Khayat, adviser to the National Drug Enforcement Authority, said traffickers and promoters were adapting their methods, requiring prevention efforts to keep pace with how young people communicate online.

“Prevention is no longer a supplementary option; it has become the first line of confrontation,” he said, speaking at a press conference at the Dubai Police Officers' Club on November 12.

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His warning came ahead of the Anti-Narcotics and Organized Crime Conference on November 17, part of the World Police Summit 2026. The summit runs from November 16 to 18 at Dubai World Trade Center.

Al Khayat said drug networks were moving beyond traditional methods, using digital platforms and encrypted applications to expand their reach while making their activities harder to trace.

Protecting young people, he said, requires helping them recognise online attempts to lure them into drug use alongside equipping parents with the knowledge and tools to maintain informed supervision and open conversations at home.

He also called for prevention programs to be integrated into education, sport and community activities through innovative approaches that connect with young audiences.

Families at the forefront

Fahad Abdullah Haikal, spokesperson for the National Drug Enforcement Authority, said combating drugs was a shared responsibility that extended beyond law enforcement.

Security agencies, health and educational institutions, social organisations and the media must work alongside families, which remain the first line of defence, he said.

Opening the press conference, Haikal outlined the authority's responsibilities, including developing policies and strategies, coordinating federal and local efforts, pursuing trafficking networks and supporting treatment and rehabilitation.

He said the authority's participation in the conference reflected its commitment to joint national and international action, and that the gathering offered an opportunity to learn from specialists and exchange effective practices.

Haikal added that the aim was to produce practical recommendations that strengthen prevention and enforcement, supporting efforts to protect society from drug-related harm.

Following the networks and the money

Brigadier Ahmed Al Suwaidi, deputy director of Dubai Police's General Department of Anti-Narcotics, said the conference would examine the challenges facing agencies as trafficking networks evolve.

Topics will include international cooperation against drug networks, intercepting cross-border shipments, dismantling trafficking operations and tracing illicit financial flows.

Discussions will also address the health impact of drugs and the potential use of artificial intelligence in counter-narcotics work.

Al Suwaidi said the programme would feature specialist workshops and discussions, alongside plans for community partnerships through memoranda of understanding with Erada Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation and GEMS schools.

The planned partnerships reflect a broader approach that connects enforcement with education, treatment and prevention.

From enforcement to rehabilitation

Mohammed Jamal Al Tamimi, head of programs at the World Police Summit, said the conference would bring together expertise across the drug response, from combating trafficking and dismantling networks to rehabilitation and prevention.

He said emerging challenges, including synthetic drugs and the use of artificial intelligence in investigations, would also feature in the discussions.

Al Tamimi stressed that the gathering was intended to help build effective partnerships and strengthen cooperation against a problem that countries cannot tackle in isolation.

For Al Khayat, that coordinated response must be matched by action in everyday settings, particularly at home.

He said informed families, open dialogue, and prevention programs that understand young people were essential to strengthening protection as drug networks change their methods.

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