Money Buys the Best

The "system" in the UAE is in place only to control those who cannot afford to beat it. For example, "parking on the roundabout is strictly prohibited" and authorities let it be known at every corner. However, each roundabout is perpetually filled with parked cars though you're not likely to find a car parked there that isn't a mint condition luxury vehicle.

When it comes to crime here, the unofficial policy seems to state that anyone can call this country home no questions asked so long as you don't infringe upon the prosperity of, or disturb the peace in place in the country. The turning of this blind eye has allowed the likes of Dawood Ibrahim and Victor Bout to call this place home for many years. The mere presence of this sort of affluent and colorful resident fosters organized crime. The two predominant groups in the UAE are the Russian and Indian Mafias; the Russians who dominate the illegal drug trade not only here but throughout the Gulf, and the Indians with their prostitution rings. There are maybe one or two arrests within each group every month; enough to satisfy authorities but not nearly enough to interrupt the crime syndicates.

Keeping this business hush-hush are authorities who fear, and rightfully so as they have developed a highly successful system, both the loss of income from parallel black markets, and the tarnished international reputation that comes with admitting there is a major problem with organized crime. An example of both sides at work is a somewhat recent murder that took place in the Burj Al Arab, the worlds most famous hotel. An illegal diamond transaction went bad leaving a Russian "businessman" dead, the event was scarcely heard of anywhere. If things like this were to become widely publicized, international pressure would be exerted on the UAE government to control organized crime, and the world's most famous hotel would suffer from a blemished reputation.

I've come to the realization that this is a country with an amazing PR team. The international perception of Dubai consists of the immaculate hotels, some fake islands, and a luxurious mall with a ski slope. I'll be the first to admit, its easy to get caught up in the act, but interspersed between these icons of luxury is the country no one hears about.