Two men cleared of smuggling amphetamines into UAE

DUBAI // Two Syrians sentenced to three years in jail each for smuggling more than six million illegal amphetamine pills into the country have been freed after Dubai Court of Appeal overturned their convictions.

However, the court upheld a three-year prison term and Dh50,000 fine issued last January by the criminal court against a third Syrian originally sentenced with the two others.

A total of 6.5 million Captagon pills worth almost Dh65 million were found by officers who searched a lorry in Ras Al Khor after acting on a tip off.

The drugs came into the UAE through Jebel Ali Port, after which they were moved to Fujairah where they were stored for about a month before being brought back to Dubai.

Dubai Criminal Court convicted all three men. However, at the appeal court two were acquitted while the sentence against the third, who imported the drugs, was upheld.

He will be deported after serving his prison term.