Man claims 7,200 Tramadol pills were for ‘personal use’ in Abu Dhabi court



The Abu Dhabi Appellate Court has deferred the case of an Asian man charged with possessing 7,200 Tramadol pills, which he claims were for personal use, until December 22 until a defence attorney is provided.

The defendant confessed to possession of the pills and submitted a medical prescription to support his claim.

When asked about the large quantity of the pills, he said he decided to buy a three year supply of the medication

The defendant is in the UAE on a work visa.

He brought the pills with him on his way in. He pleaded innocent.

During prior interrogation, the defendant denied any knowledge of the pills and claimed they were planted in his luggage upon his second visit to the UAE.

The Court of First Instance had sentenced him to seven years in prison as well as a Dh50,000 fine, confiscation of the pills and deportation after serving his term.

newsdesk@thenational.ae

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Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.


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