Efforts of Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Combating Drug

Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s efforts are based on many axes that incorporate with each others to achieve the desired result of protecting the society from the risks of drugs and confronting the drugs traffickers and pushers trying to spread corruption and crime in the society. The efforts also focus on cracking down those who try to fetch drugs into the country, protecting the society from drugs abuse and raise the public awareness about its harms and risks.

Their efforts also include preventing the entry of drugs into the country, tracing the drugs criminals, arresting them and bringing them before justice to protect our society from their wickedness and evils with cooperation and coordination with other competent authorities. To carry out those missions Drugs Prevention Authorities shall be supported with advanced capabilities. In view of this, the Ministry of Interior and General Directorate of Public Security are highly interested in addressing the drugs problems and as a result the DPD was supported and provided with manpower and modern equipments., The staff competency was improved by sending them to attend many specialized courses in Qatar and abroad, and also by participating in different conferences and meetings to learn and follow-up with the recent international updates in the field of drugs.

Awareness and Prevention

The Department's strategy is based on a comprehensive approach of prevention concept. While combating drugs is given a great deal of importance in restricting the drugs, prevention also has been given a balanced and harmonious role. Thus the Department paid great and constant efforts to highlight the scourge of the drugs problem, raise the security awareness, discuss the drugs risks and to educate the public about the harms of this problem from social, economical and health aspects which at a whole target the society in general and youth in particular through:


Measures taken on national level:

• Crimes of drugs and psychotropic substances are governed by the Law No. 9 for the year 1987, and the Amendment Law No. 7 for the year 1998. As per the penalties, its provisions are in line with international approaches to amplify the penalty to accord the severity of the criminal acts. Its main feature is intensifying the punishment to death penalty or life imprisonment next to seizing properties and funds derived from this restricted activity.

• Support and develop Drugs Prevention Department, which is a security body specialized in combating drugs by providing it with the manpower and necessary equipments and raising the staff efficiency through internal and external trainings.

• Design practical and well-examined plans to raise the awareness on harms of the drugs, targeting all youth gatherings through different Media and by holding seminars and meetings, issuing brochures, leaflets and posters and holding exhibitions demonstrating drug harms and prevention methods.

• Establishing a Permanent Committee for Drugs and Alcohol Affairs which undertakes the responsibilities of setting up plans, programs and policies in the field of combating drugs.

Measures taken on regional and international levels:

• Comprehensive application of the Arab strategy for combating drugs and psychotropic substances, and its periodical plans.

• Ratification of the Arab Convention on Illicit Trafficking of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1995.

• State of Qatar is a party in the single Convention on Drugs of 1961, Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988.

• State of Qatar is keen to effectuate its role in the international drugs combating through implementing the principles and provisions of these conventions.

• Participate in various relevant conferences and meetings and exchange information with the relevant authorities.

Treatment of Drug Addicts

Apart from the great role played by Drugs Prevention Department in combating drugs and stopping drugs crimes, it yet has a greater role which is the humanitarian role represented in helping and treating the drug addicts and helping them to become good citizens again because an addict is considered a sick person who can be treated and rehabilitated.

The Department established the Addiction Treatment Unit to receive calls and complaints from the family and parents of addicted persons to treat them and monitor their physical and mental health variables until they get better. All this is done in complete secrecy in cooperation and coordination with a psychiatrist. This is a temporary unit until a specialized clinic for drugs addiction is established.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA) participates with world's all drug combating authorities in celebrating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26th June. It's an international occasion approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Believing in the danger of drugs, the department highlights this problem and intensifies efforts to address it because of its risks and negative effects on the society and its members.

The Administration holds on this occasion an annual exhibition in public areas to raise the awareness on the risks and harms of drugs. It also prepares awareness raising posters and brochures clarifying the dangerous results of drug abuse and distributes these posters, brochures and in-kind gifts in public areas. On this day, some distinguished staffs of Drugs Prevention Department are honored to show the department's keenness to enhance and improve the performance of its staff.

Permanent Drug Exhibition

Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a permanent exhibition of drugs aims at displaying the danger of drugs using touchy photos, paintings and sculptures clarifying the addiction's effects and tragedies. The exhibition list includes samples of drugs substances such as opium, heroin, hashish, marijuana, kat, papaver rhoeas's fruits and seeds, narcotic drugs, different models of smuggling means used by drugs smugglers and pushers and means of drug abuse as well as photos of drugs seized by the Department during the past years. The exhibition was visited by many officials in Arab and international security authorities and members of summer clubs, sport and youth groups.

Security Library

The Administration has shown a great interest in the Security Library by providing it with books, periodicals, documents of international, regional and local conferences and seminars. The library is constantly provided by recent scientific publications in the field of drugs, law and crime which allow the Department's employees to develop their skills and abilities and update their knowledge in the field of drugs. The Administration also carried out statistical and field studies to determine the volume of the phenomenon, its development and factors and suggest suitable solutions to address them as well as providing the competent authorities in different regional and international organizations in which the State of Qatar is a member with statistical data and information related with the field of drugs.