Moufide ‘Mouf’ Bouchibi, a.k.a the “ghost,” had been on the run for over a decade.

On Thursday, Dubai Police announced the arrest of French drug lord Moufide ‘Mouf’ Bouchibi, allegedly involved in drug operations in Europe valued at 70 million euros ($82.6 million) annually. Brigadier Jamal Salem Al-Jallaf, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation (CID), said his team used AI to track and arrest Bouchibi. (TECHSTORY)

Dubai operation ghost

Dubai Police swung into action after they received an Interpol Red Notice.

“Although French detectives had only a photo of Bouchibi from more than 20 years ago, our teams were able to identify Mouf’s whereabouts by analyzing available data, pictures, and videos, and harnessing the latest artificial intelligence techniques available at the Criminal Data Analysis Centre,” said Al-Jallaf.

Mouf earned his nickname due to his ability to evade arrest by using a variety of aliases, fake identities, and forged documents. He was using the same modus operandi in Dubai and took care not to make any transactions or purchases in his real name.

“He was hiding under several names as if he did not exist at all, which posed a great challenge to our detectives who have always shown exceptional professionalism in analyzing available information and utilizing the latest technologies to serve justice and track down criminals,” Al-Jallaf continued.

Strategic Plan for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Department at the Dubai Police

Dubai’s AI strategic plan for 2018-2031 focuses on achieving targets like ‘Delight the Society’ through providing future policing services easily to the public and making ‘Dubai a Safe City’ through the use of AI systems.

In October, Dubai introduced a facial recognition system on public transport to boost security, though the program has attracted criticism for its intrusion into commuters’ privacy.

However, Obaid al-Hathboor, director of Dubai’s Transport Security Department said: “This technology has proven its effectiveness to identify suspicious and wanted people.”

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