DUBAI // Two of six men accused of possessing more than two kilograms of drugs to sell have each been sentenced to one year in jail on the lesser charge of having the drugs for their own use.
Pakistani A E, 24, and Comoros Islander A M, 24, were convicted while the other four were all acquitted by Dubai Criminal Court on Tuesday morning.
The men found not guilty were Emiratis E R, 28, and M Q, 34, who were charged with possessing 2.1 kilograms of hashish, half a kilo of opium, half a kilo of methamphetamine and 10,000 tramadol tablets and Iranian E B, 27, who was charged with smuggling drugs to the two Emiratis, as well as consuming them.
The two convicted men were charged with possessing with intent to sell 17.1kg of hashish, opium and heroin, as well as 4,910 benzhexol tablets and 28,000 tramadol pills. The duo were also charged with consuming drugs.
Emirati S A, 25, was charged with aiding and abetting the convicted pair and with drug consumption.
All the defendants denied the charges against them in court last April.
Acting on a tip-off, Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department arrested the Emiratis E R and M Q and found drugs hidden under the floor of M Q’s house. They confessed to police that they got the drugs from the Iranian.
The police tracked down the Iranian and arrested him as he was delivering drugs to the two men who were subsequently jailed.
He also showed police where he hid the rest of the drugs, in the fuel tank of his boat.
The Pakistani and Comoros Islander told police that they were asked by Emirati defendant S A to pick up drugs for him, and S A was arrested.
“I was assigned as a member of the arrest team for the defendant E B. We found him and saw him loading a bag into the boot of a Lexus car belonging to the defendants A E and A M and then we arrested him.
“He told us that the bag he gave to the two men contained drugs,” testified Emirati police officer A A.
The two men who were convicted will be deported after serving their jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
