Yemen gun-running case ends in guilty verdicts for six

Court rules in smuggling case in which 16,000 pistols were intercepted in Dubai en route to Yemen.

ABU DHABI // Six men were sentenced to prison this morning for their roles in trying to ship 16,000 pistols through Dubai into Yemen.

FB, a cargo clearance officer in Turkey, must spend three years in prison and pay a Dh15,000 fine, the State Security Court ruled.

Video:Dubai Police seize Dh16 million worth of guns

A shipment of 16,000 pistols worth an estimated Dh16?million and bound for Yemen was seized by the Dubai Police in March.

Five men, IA and MA, Omanis; and AM, AAE and AB, all Egyptian, were sentenced to five years in prison and a Dh15,000 fine. They were not in court today.

Five others, MA, MM and SM, all Egyptian; AS, a Qatari; and AK, an Indian, were acquitted.

All 11 men were accused of possessing and transferring weapons without a permit.

In March, Dubai police intercepted what they said was a shipment of guns worth Dh16million bound for the town of Sa'dah, in northern Yemen. The shipment came from Turkey.

Police described the pistols as designed for personal use, not military weapons. The guns were real, according to a forensics report.