Crystal meth dealer sentenced to death in Abu Dhabi

Man from Pakistan touted drugs on WhatsApp

DUBAI, UAE. May 5, 2014 - A Dubai Customs inspector uses a special canine unit to search for drugs in an unloaded shipment in Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, May 5, 2014. (Photos by: Sarah Dea/The National, Story by: Tom Arnold, Business)
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A drug dealer who touted crystal meth on WhatsApp has been handed the death penalty by Abu Dhabi Criminal Court.

The Pakistani, whose age and profession were not disclosed, was arrested after anti-narcotics police received a tip-off.

He was found at his residence when officers acted on a warrant from prosecutors.

His house and car were searched and crystal meth found in his possession was seized.

In a news release from Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, officials said he communicated with a drug trafficker abroad and was part of a group of fixers.

The man would receive information and photos about stashes of drugs, where pick-ups could be made.

He would then forward the information to accomplices, who would repackage and store the drugs in new locations.

His car and the mobile phone he used to promote and sell drugs were confiscated.

While rarely carried out, capital punishment is allowed in certain cases such as of murder, rape and selling drugs.

The last known execution was in November 2017, of Jordanian Nedal Issa Abdullah for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in Dubai.

Updated: December 20, 2021, 1:35 PM