Dubai has long been a haven for some of the most notorious drug lords in Europe and has a history of protecting European criminals, particularly those involved in the cocaine trade.
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“Dubai did become a bit of a mecca for all sorts of interesting individuals on the run,” Alex Yearsly, an expert on money laundering, tells us in our new podcast Gateway.
We’ve already reported on how Dubai is a refuge for oligarchs and kleptocrats. But for years, it has also had a history of protecting European criminals — in particular those controlling the cocaine trade. With its lax attitude to shell companies and regulation as well as its lack of extradition treaties, the UAE became home to the big drug lords, those known as the “super cartel.”
“They're gone, nobody's here anymore.” Belgian journalist Joris van der Aa told Gateway. “Dubai is a b...