Bootleggers Feel the Heat.Summary: DUBAI -- Dubai Police has arrested hundreds of bootlegging bootlegging, in the United States, the illegal distribution or production of liquor and other highly taxed goods. First practiced when liquor taxes were high, bootlegging was instrumental in defeating early attempts to regulate the liquor business by taxation. gangs and seized more than 100 tonnes of alcohol since the beginning of the year, a senior police officer said. The police targeting of bootlegging has been attributed to a 42 per cent drop in serious crimes, including murder, in the first half of the current year, compared to the same period in the year 2008. Brigadier Khalil Ibrahim Dr. Khalil Ibrahim is the leader of the Zaghawa-dominated Darfurian rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). History Ibrahim is from the Kobe branch of the Zaghawa ethnic group, which is located mainly in Chad, with a minority on the Darfur side of the border. Al Mansouri, Director, General Department of Criminal Investigation, said 500 gangs who were illegally selling alcohol were arrested during the first half of the year. "The arrest of the gangs has led to a drop in serious crime cases, including murder, by about half, as smuggling smuggling, illegal transport across state or national boundaries of goods or persons liable to customs or to prohibition. Smuggling has been carried on in nearly all nations and has occasionally been adopted as an instrument of national policy, as by Great Britain and selling of alcohol lead to theft and murder," Brig Brig, town, Switzerland Brig (brēk), Fr. Brigue, town, Valais canton, S Switzerland, on the Rhône River, at the north entrance of the Simplon Tunnel. . Al Mansouri said. Many of the arrests and seizures In counterdrug operations, includes drugs and conveyances seized by law enforcement authorities and drug-related assets (monetary instruments, etc.) confiscated based on evidence that they have been derived from or used in illegal narcotics activities. were made in Jebel Ali Jebel Ali (جبل علي in Arabic) (also sometime written "Mina Jabal Ali") is a port ("Mina" in Arabic) town, located thirty-five kilometres southwest of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. and Al Quoz where most of the crimes occur, around labour accommodation facilities. A Jebel Ali Police team, dedicated to tackling bootlegging, has seized 103 tonnes of alcohol since the start of the year - 13 tonnes in Ramadan alone. Brig. Al Mansouri said the Criminal Follow Up Department had dealt with 1,000 cases against bootlegging gangs this year. The number of suspects involved in the cases was not available. He said the department had succeeded in catching the heads of bootlegging gangs trading alcohol in Dubai and other emirates. The majority of them were deported after serving jail time. Major Mohammed Ahli, Director of Follow Up Department, said that the department had tracked networks and dens known for storing alcohol before they smuggled smug·gle v. smug·gled, smug·gling, smug·gles v.tr. 1. To import or export without paying lawful customs charges or duties. 2. To bring in or take out illicitly or by stealth. and distributed it. The police then set traps and caught them red-handed. He said the department had targeted the heads of the gangs as well as the distributors. Ahli said the department was working on Dubai's borders and also monitoring heavy trucks which smuggle smug·gle v. smug·gled, smug·gling, smug·gles v.tr. 1. To import or export without paying lawful customs charges or duties. 2. To bring in or take out illicitly or by stealth. alcohol to the other emirates. While 1,000 cases were dealt with in the first half of this year, 700 cases were recorded in 2008 and 600 in 2007. Ahli said the crime was prevalent among south Asians especially workers who increased their activities at the start of the year. Khaleej Times The Khaleej Times is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is published by Galadari Printing and Publishing L.L.C. with the Gulf News being its main competitor. earlier reported several serious crimes which police attributed to the increase in bootlegging activities and turf wars. In January, Dubai Police arrested 41 members of a bootlegging gang and charged some of them with the murder of three men from a competing illegal liquor gang. Two of the men were stabbed repeatedly with swords and knives, tied together and buried alive in the desert. The Dubai Police Crime Index shows that 26,559 crimes were reported during the first three months of this year, compared to 53,201 cases in the same period in 2008. amira@khaleejtimes.ae Copyright 2009 Khaleej Times. All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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