A man who was cleared of distributing drugs will now spend five years in prison after his acquittal was overturned by a higher court.
Police were tipped off about the Indian man’s activities by two of his customers in May last year.
Police had arrested the two customers who, during questioning, told them the accused gave them hashish, but they did not pay him.
"He gave me drugs two times for free," said one of the customers.
The pair were referred to the Court of Misdemeanours to face a charge of consuming drugs.
The Indian dealer was arrested on June 15 on charges of distributing drugs.
During police and prosecution questioning, the accused denied possessing or distributing drugs. He also denied facilitating drug consumption.
At Dubai Criminal Court, in July last year, the man was charged with facilitating drug consumption, which he denied. The court cleared him of the charge.
Prosecutors appealed the verdict and Dubai Court of Appeal sentenced the man to five years in prison followed by deportation. He was also ordered to pay a Dh20,000 fine.
