Alcohol bootleggers charged over resisting arrest and one for assaulting policeman

Filipino men got away the first time police caught up with them but were arrested second time around after officers worked out their location from a car they were using.

DUBAI // Four bootleggers are accused of resisting arrest, while one of them is said to have assaulted a police officer.

Dubai Criminal Court heard on Thursday that the men, aged 28 to 47 and from the Philippines, resisted five officers who were trying to take them into custody over their alleged illegal alcohol business in December last year.

“I didn’t do anything to the policeman,” said the 28-year-old defendant. The judge replied that the officer ended up in hospital.

“What happened is that I think my hand touched his face by mistake during the arrest,” said the accused, who is solely charged with physically assaulting an officer of the law.

Police said they received a tip-off about the group’s activities.

“We were tipped about them selling alcohol in Ras Al Khor and the officers, myself included, were dispatched immediately,” said a policeman, 36.

He said that two officers posed as buyers and one of the defendants sold them beer that had been hidden under a lorry.

“The two officers then identified themselves, which made the suspects run. We chased them, our colleague caught up with them and was assaulted,” the officer said.

The suspects were not arrested that day (December 22) but the plate number of the vehicle they drove was noted. The car was found two days later and it helped police locate the suspects.

“They resisted arrest one more time, on December 24, but we were able to take them into custody,” said a police lieutenant, 39.

The next hearing will be on July 10.