Dealers caught with tramadol lose appeal against jail sentence

The two men also lost their appeal against a fine of Dh20,000 each.

DUBAI // Two men who were jailed for a year after being caught with 1,600 tramadol tablets lost their appeal against the sentence on Tuesday.

Unemployed B A, 28, and A H, 27, were convicted at Dubai Criminal Court last December of possessing the tablets with the intent to sell.

B A was given another month in jail for driving under the influence of drugs, which was also upheld by the Appeals Court.

The two Emiratis also lost their appeal against fines of Dh20,000.

Police officers saw B A driving his car erratically on the morning of April 1 last year.

“We saw them in Al Warqaa 2 area and they looked like they were driving while sleeping, so we asked for another patrol as backup before we approached them,” said policeman S D, 23.

When they stopped the car, A H handed him a plastic bag filled with tramadol tablets.

“I asked him for his ID and instead he gave me the drugs bag,” the officer said.

Another plastic bag with more tablets was found in a car door pocket.

Tests found that both men, who denied all charges at the Criminal Court last September, had taken drugs.

This is the latest in a series of court cases involving abuse of tramadol.

It is illegal to possess the painkiller, which is a synthetic version of codeine, without a prescription.

At the Global Forum for Youth Leaders on Drug Use Prevention in Abu Dhabi this month, experts said illegal drug users were increasingly choosing tramadol and other prescription drugs over heroin.