Abdullah Al-Shadli (South24)

Despite the global drug invasion, a new synthetic type of drug known as “Shabu” has appeared in recent years in Hadramout governorate, South Yemen. 

In this report, "South24" investigates the spread of Shabu in the governorate, and reveals information it obtained from private sources. In addition to exclusive pictures showing a laboratory for its production. The report hosts anti-narcotics officials in the governorate to recount their ongoing battle against these contrabands.

Master killer

The names of this type of drug vary, as it is known as "Shabu", "Ice", and "Crystal meth". But a "Master killer" is the name doctors prefer for this chemical compound.

The scientific name for Shabu is "methamphetamine"; It is a very powerful central nervous system stimulant chemical drug. It belongs primarily to recreational drugs and is used to a lesser extent in second-line treatments for ADHD [1].

Shabu is rapidly addictive, due to its direct effect on the central nervous system, and is considered a stimulant of the psychoactive group of amphetamines and phenethylamines. It is described as one of the most powerful drugs that have ever created [2].

According to Dr. Ali Qarqar, an addiction treatment specialist at Dar Al-Shifa Specialized Hospital in Egypt, "high doses of Shabu directly cause a state of mania and euphoria."

In an interview with "South24", Qarqar added, "in any case, the wrong use of amphetamines outside medical supervision causes addiction, and makes people captive to crystal meth without exaggeration."

Regarding the reasons for consuming this drug, Qarqar explained that “it is one of the stimulating substances or stimuli that young people may resort to because of a passion for the experience or reasons related to its effect, such as waking up for a long time, or the effect of increasing sexual desire."

He continued, "In the long term, crystal meth causes stress, nervousness, weight loss, dental carries and the destruction of liver cells."

Regarding the age group at which drug mania begins, Qarqar said, "it may start at any age, although the most common is adolescence due to peer pressure, in addition to the possibility of excessive mood disorders during this period."

“The danger of this type of drug exceeds all types combined, including heroin and Captagon,” says Colonel Abdullah Hamdi, director of the Narcotics Control Department in Hadramaut Coast. Abdullah added to "South24": "Its abuse is also linked to sessions of Qat use among young people."

Shabu production in Hadramout

Exclusive photos obtained by "South24" from private sources showed a factory for Shabu production in Hadramout governorate. According to the sources, this factory is located in one of Wadi Hadramout regions, and Yemenis, Pakistanis and people of other nationalities work in it.

A factory for producing Shabu in Wadi Hadramout, South Yemen (South24) 

According to Colonel Hamdi, "producing shabu is not difficult if chemical laboratories are available." He added, "Recently, we began to suspect that Shabu - which East Asia is the natural cradle of its spread - is being prepared in Hadramout."

Regarding the price of shabu, Hamdi stated that the price of one gram of it in Hadramout “has reached over 30,000 Yemeni riyals, or 100 Saudi riyals in recent years,” and pointed out that “currently, the price of a gram of shabu has fallen to 14,000 thousand riyals."

Hamdi explained this significant decrease as "the production of shabu has already started in Hadramout, instead of smuggling it from abroad." He revealed to "South24" that the Narcotics Control Department in Hadramout Coast has information about the existence of factories for the production of shabu in Hadramout, but it has not been able to locate them so far.

A factory for producing Shabu in Wadi Hadramout, South Yemen (South24) 

Hamdi believes that building Shabu factories in Hadramout came "as a result of the security services' clampdown on this type of drug at air, sea and land ports."

For his part, Captain Mohamed Ghallab, the former director of Narcotics Control Department in Wadi Hadramout, confirmed the existence of factories for the production of shabu in the Wadi areas. Ghallab said that before his resignation he was very close to discovering the location of the factory after he arrested "suspects associated with the factory".

Ghallab did not tell "South24" the reason for his resignation, but private sources reported that he was subjected to pressure and threats while chasing the Shabu factory in Wadi Hadramout. This prompted him to resign, according to the sources.

A factory for producing Shabu in Wadi Hadramout, South Yemen (South24) 

Shabu production in Hadramout was not limited to smuggling and internal trade, but also extended to an attempt to smuggle it to neighboring countries through Seyiun International Airport.

About this, Hamdi says: "The monitoring of Shabu began to be repeated at Seiyun airport about two years ago. More than three smuggling attempts were discovered at the airport." He pointed out that Shabu destination in Hadramout at that time "was for the purpose of smuggling it to neighboring countries, particularly Egypt."

According to Hamdi, "according to the seizures, cannabis is still in first place among all types. It is followed by Captagon tablets. At the moment, Shabu has begun to sweep the local market. There are fears that it will take first place soon."

The return of expatriates 

"Drugs are always governed by the law of supply and demand. The demand in Hadramout was created by those who were deported from neighboring countries especially the ones who were previously arrested in narcotic cases," Hamdi claimed.

He adds: "When the demand was found domestically, the spread became at the internal level instead of smuggling it from outside the country as before."

Despite the increased production and local consumption of shabu, the director of drug control in the Hadhramaut coast believes that "smuggling is still going on, while the security services at the airports have not caught any smuggling operations recently."

Turnout reasons

As for the reasons for drug users, especially young people, turning to shabu, Hamdi says, "one of the main reasons is that abusers believe that it gives them extraordinary sexual energy, in addition to other beliefs, such as psychological comfort and others."

He continued, "most of those who come to us about drug abuse cases and through what we see in the reality of our work, the new young people have not reached the stage of addiction, and we have not noticed serious complications or retroactive effects on them, and this explains to us the period of detention of the abuser. The period may sometimes reach to 6 months."

Hamdi considered Shabu to be "a new disaster for young people in this country burdened with disasters, and one of the biggest challenges they face so far."

Officers sell drugs

Speaking to "South24", security sources accused some officers, military commanders and soldiers in Hadramout of involvement in drug trafficking and its use. The sources said that they "abuse their positions to facilitate the process of promoting and earning from them."

On this, Colonel Hamdi said: "Unfortunately, according to the seizures, there is abuse by some officers and soldiers, and this is a fact that we must not deny, and they are, in the end, human beings." He pointed out that "they will be punished like other people."

Regarding the motives for this, Hamdi said that "Hadramout needed manpower at one time to control the security aspect. The recruitment at that time was according to quantity, not quality. Most likely, these users took advantage of this period to penetrate the security and military bodies."

A factory for producing Shabu in Wadi Hadramout, South Yemen (South24) 

Hamdi did not rule out that "the drug gangs and mafia are the ones who planted these members to facilitate some smuggling operation." He added, "We are in the process of filtering and screening such cases, some of which we know personally."

Easy drugs

Drugs of all kinds are no longer the only ones threatening the lives of young people, as prices are not affordable for everyone, and their penalties are harsh and can deter amateurs. However, with the availability of alternatives that are sold in some pharmacies through illegal means, some drugs with a narcotic effect have become attractive to those looking for what is known as the “Mood".

Some pharmacists in Hadramout, in their conversation with "South24", considered that "the differences in profits from selling some types of medicines are considered "daily income" for them.

For example, (S.M.), who is an employee of a pharmacy in the Fowa area, in the city of Mukalla, on the Coast of Hadramout, says: “Some medications are only dispensed with prescriptions. However, sometimes I have to sell them without a prescription to earn if I guarantee the person." 

He adds, "The most popular drugs with good profits are: sleeping pills, antidepressants and epilepsy."

As for (A.B), who works in another pharmacy, he says: "I only deal with medical prescriptions with everyone without exception. After the return of some of the GCC countries, I noticed an increase in demand for certain types of medications. I did not hesitate to dispense them, considering that they are dispensed without a prescription, it quickly runs out. But I know it's being used for other purposes."

He added, "after the increase in demand and given how quickly they go out of stock, the pharmacy owner instructed me to refrain from selling these medications except with a prescription. However constant refusal to dispense them without reason is very stressful and embarrassing to me."

He pointed out that "the problem is constantly escalating, because there are no laws regulating these drugs within what prevents their dispensing except with medical prescriptions."

Commenting on this, the director of Narcotics Control Department in Hadramout Coast says, "the first issue that we faced in 2017, was that some pharmacy owners promote some types of sedative drugs, which are only available with a prescription, for the purpose of quick profit."

Hamdi considered that "this is due to weak oversight." He added, "The demand for these items is very high, because of their affordable prices, and because they may replace drugs. The problem is that the drug law does not cover them. If a person is caught, the punishment is very simple."

Sanctions and weak capabilities 

Speaking about the penalties, Hamdi explained that the penalty for drug abuse is "prison for up to five years while the penalty for the promoter is up to 25 years in prison". As for drug trafficking, "the penalty for drug trafficking may reach the death penalty, and may be reduced to 25 years in prison."

"As for being in suspicious places or designated for drinking, the penalty for that is up to one year in prison," he added.

Regarding the difficulties facing the war against drugs in Hadramout Coast, Hamdi said, "We are facing great challenges, the most prominent of which are: weak capabilities, weapons availability, and even human cadres."

He continued, "There is no section for women's cadres for them to carry out their duties, and we do not have an operating budget. Our work is based on local fund.

He added, "We even suffer from weak building's capabilities, as it does not accommodate the number of prisoners, and it is illogical to put a drug addict with a promoter, for fear that the abuser will become a promoter. We consider the abuser a victim."

As for Hamdi, "the real issue that worries us is that some of our affiliates have not received their salaries for more than seven months. They are in a great challenge: either they prove their principles or align themselves with the temptations of the promoters, which amount to tens of thousands of foreign currencies cash."

Addiction cure

Regarding the nature of drug side effects, addiction treatment specialist, Dr. Ali Qarqar, indicated that they “differ from one substance to another."

He added, "since some substances especially have a depressing effect on the nervous system, and others have a stimulating effect, but at the behavioral level, they may be similar in severe mood changes and an increased need for money."

Qarqar points out that "the treatment in its first stage at least, will vary according to the substance and several other factors, but again the substances will be similar in the target after the end of the withdrawal period, which is the targeted treatment to prevent relapse, which will target the intellectual and behavioral aspects, which may cause their return to drugs."

But Ahmed Obaid, the father of a Shabu addict in the Old Fowa area of Mukalla, believes that "anyone who has been addicted to this poison for more than six months will pay the price of his addiction with unimaginable losses in many respects."

Obaid added, in an interview with "South24": "On material level, the addict loses many times his income, due to demand and purchase that increases directly with the length of the use period." And he sent a message to "everyone who knows an addict he cherishes, to stop him, even by force. We are in a country where there are no specialized treatment centers."

In 2019, it was announced the start of the establishment of Al-Nuha Hospital for Psychiatry and Addiction, in Al-Ghorfa area in Tarim district in Wadi Hadramout. At the beginning of 2022, the only hospital announced receiving applications for employment [3].

According to what “South24” tracked during the years from 2018 to 2020, the figures indicate that 102 kilograms and 420 grams of hashish, 1,460 Captagon pills, and 2,805 other narcotic pills were seized in Hadramout. While only 56 kilos of Shabu were seized during the year 2020.

Statistics obtained by "South24" indicate that the number of drug cases in the Hadramout Coast during those three years amounted to about 421 cases (243 in 2018, 93 in 2019, and 80 in 2020).

Abdullah Al-Shadli

Journalist and editor at South24 Center for News and Studies

Photo: A factory for producing Shabu in Wadi Hadramout, South Yemen (South24)