Lieutenant General Khalil Ibrahim Al-Mansouri, Assistant Chief of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, confirmed that a male model who presents himself as an Emirati citizen, but is actually a resident, was arrested after he smoked a hashish cigarette during a live broadcast on one of his social media accounts. He believed that his fame would excuse his dangerous behavior, but a ruling was issued for his deportation from the country.
Al-Mansouri explained that this well-known young man did not expect Dubai Police to monitor developments in the digital space with such precision. He added, "The love of rapid fame on social media prompted this celebrity to boast about destructive and criminal behavior—smoking hashish—without any sense of responsibility or respect for the law. However, the General Directorate for Drug Control at Dubai Police was alert to protect the community from such models that hide behind the UAE national dress, instilling in the youth and adolescents the idea of violating laws and rebelling against our original community traditions and established ethics."
He noted that drugs and psychotropic substances are a dangerous scourge that harms all users, both male and female. The danger increases due to the malicious exploitation by some influencers and celebrities on social media to promote "toxins" and market harmful behaviors and destructive ideas within the fabric of everyday life. This has significantly amplified feelings of depression, dissatisfaction, and frustration among their young followers, who feel unable to emulate the lives of these celebrities, further placing many parents under immense psychological pressure.
The assistant chief emphasized that the General Directorate for Drug Control is continuously monitoring developments in the digital space. He reiterated that they had arrested a model who presented himself as an Emirati but was in fact a resident widely known on Instagram for smoking hashish during a live broadcast, believing that his fame would protect him from the consequences. However, a decision was made to deport him.
**Dangerous Experiences**
He highlighted a strong correlation between exposure to images and videos of drug use and the subsequent initiation of drug usage. With celebrities promoting drug use or psychotropic substances on social media in a manner that encourages youth to try them, associating these substances with fun and enhancing mood and skills, it creates psychological pressure on adolescents to experiment with these products.
**A Significant Challenge**
He continued that adolescents of both genders are the most affected by the consumer lifestyle, negative behaviors, and destructive ideas propagated by some celebrities as part of their life rhythm. Seeing their favorite celebrities enjoying themselves at parties, nightlife, travel, or even engaging in negative behaviors can allure teens and push them toward risky choices and experiences in an attempt to adapt and imitate the lives of those celebrities. This underscores the need for parents to be vigilant, provide care and supervision for their children, and instill good values and morals. They should not overlook any negative changes in their children and always trust the ability of the International Protection Center within the General Directorate for Drug Control at Dubai Police to manage cases and provide psychological and moral support with high levels of confidentiality, privacy, and professionalism.
