Large quantity of hashish, other drugs destroyed

An inter-agency task force dispossed of large quantities of seized narcotics.

The Prosecutors Office of Sana’a has destroyed 1477 kilograms of hashish, and 170 million pills of various kinds of drugs. Security forces seized these drugs at the Sana’a airport and in the eastern governorates of Hadramout and al-Maharah. The pills were hidden in chocolate, and wrapped in pieces of cloth.

In a statement, Special Penal Prosecutor Ali Hussein Asker said the drugs were seized at the Sana’a airport, as well as various land and sea outlets, adding that the traffickers are now standing trial. Askar added that Yemen is frequently used as a drug transit point to neighboring countries, pointing out that there are still 10 other cases concerning narcotics awaiting trial.

Sana’a customs manager Ahmed Nasser al-Dharibi said 11 water heaters were discovered in Sana’a airport filled with drugs, with each water heater containing over 63 000 pills.

The commander of the Capital Secretariat’s anti-drug program, Brigadier Yahia al-Jaifi said varying quantities of narcotic pills were captured from different traffickers, who have been referred to the prosecution. He explained that the traffickers were Yemeni, as well as foreigners from Pakistan, Iran and Kuwait. Al-Jaifi has said some Yemeni youth have begun using these drugs.

Himiar Qais, a member of the prosecution said the amount of drugs destroyed had a street value of ten million dollars. He added that the drugs were destroyed following their introduction as material evidence to the court in the trial against the suspects. “Because of the large amount of the samples, the court ordered their destruction and to keep only a small amount as evidence,” Himiar said.

Judge Radhwan al-Namir of the Primary Penal Court said there are ten cases of drug trafficking before the court, and the verdicts may vary from the death penalty to 25 years imprisonment. It is hoped such strong sentences will act as a deterrent to others considering drug trafficking, which endangers the future of the country’s youth.

Drugs are an increasingly widespread problem in Yemen in recent years, with headlines being made weekly about the arrest of drug traffickers attempting to import their product into the country- including the recent high profile case of 13 Iranians apprehended as they entered Yemeni territorial waters. This year alone, security forces have seized 20 tons of hashish, and over 9 million pills, three times the amount of drugs seized in 2007. 

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