Al-Amn Magazine

SECURITY depending on the type of drug. “Some smugglers swallow heroin capsules, while others hide them inside their clothes or shoes. However, it can be confirmed that no matter how skilled smugglers are in inventing new methods every day, the anti-narcotics and customs officers have the accumulated experience, advanced training, and modern equipment that enable them to thwart and foil these attempts and arrest them at all of the ports.” He noted that the ports through which the largest number of drug cases have been seized are Bahrain International Airport and King Fahd Causeway, due to the large numbers of users. He stated that 1,849 drug cases were seized during 2024 across the ports, including 1,371 cases within the country, 201 cases at the land port (King Fahd Causeway), 276 cases at the airport (Bahrain International Airport), and one case at sea. The cases varied in terms of classification, including 73 smuggling cases, 155 drug promotion cases, 1,286 drug abuse cases, one drug cultivation case, 240 drug-related cases, and 94 other cases. Meanwhile, 626 drug cases were seized during the first quarter of 2025, distributed among 471 cases within the country, 62 cases at the land port (King Fahd Causeway), 91 cases at the airport (Bahrain International Airport), and two cases at sea. “These cases varied in terms of classification, including 51 smuggling cases, 70 drug-related cases, 449 drug- related cases, 49 drug-related cases, and seven other cases. He noted that these figures demonstrate the extent of the efforts exerted by anti-drug officers.” He explained that the 996 hotline is one of the most important communication channels with the Anti- Narcotics Directorate, as users and addicts are treated as patients first and foremost, and healthcare is provided to them. “Cooperation and coordination are also carried out with other civil society organizations to provide post- treatment care and rehabilitation. In addition, reports of drug dealers or users are received, as well as the possibility of reporting them in person, while ensuring complete confidentiality of personal data.” He said a special email address has also been launched for reporting drug cases (996@ interior.gov.bh) , with all guarantees provided to informants. He noted that 1,237 reports were processed last year via the hotline, while 283 reports were processed during the first quarter of this year. Gulf and international cooperation On Gulf and Regional Cooperation in the Field of Combating Drugs Regarding drugs, he said that the GCC countries share a common destiny and a unified goal at all levels in general, and in the security field in particular, and this reflects the extent of unity and cooperation. “Therefore, meetings between Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Ministers of Interior and the directors of anti-drug agencies are held periodically to develop and review policies and address changes in smuggling operations, which has had a positive impact on combating this scourge. “Aspects of this cooperation and communication include intensifying joint security operations between the security authorities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, exchanging information and exchanging wanted persons, in addition to holding periodic and exceptional meetings and large-scale joint training and academic courses in the field of drug control.” He emphasized that during 2024, numerous joint security operations were carried out between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the United States of America, totaling 132 operations, ranging from the extradition of observers to the transfer of information. “During the first third of the current year, 2025, 88 joint security operations were carried out between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Australia, Pakistan, the US Consulate General, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.” He pointed to the ongoing cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the field of drug control, in implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between His Excellency the Minister of Interior and the Director of the Office in the Austrian capital, Vienna, regarding enhancing areas of joint cooperation between the United Nations and the National Committee for Drug Control. “This also falls in accordance with the provisions of the national plan launched by His Excellency the Minister of Interior in 2015 and the means to continue achieving it on the ground, in accordance with the goals set by the organization to reduce the spread of drugs and combat crime, and to highlight the efforts of Bahrain in the field of drug and crime control.” He said training courses and workshops are organized to graduate certified trainers in the field of drug control International Stevie Award for Social Impact