Two opium pushers get life in Dubai jail

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance has sentenced three people to life in jail and a fourth to 10 years in prison for smuggling and possessing 50kg of opium.

HBM, 35, Pakistani, visitor, and AMO, 43, Somali, sailor, received life in jail term and WMW, 39, Pakistani sailor, was given ten years in jail and ordered to pay Dh50,000 fine.

The convicts appealed the sentences immediately after hearing them.

According to the records, police received a tip off about HBM looks for buyers for a large quantity of opium he possessed. He was asking for Dh12,000 per kg.

“A police informer arranged with HBM and AMO who came along with him on the deal. The handing over operation was agreed to take place in the parking lot of Century Mall in Al Mamazar area.

“On March 23, HBM called the informer and asked him to arrange the amount as the operation will be at 12.30pm. When he arrived there with the undercover policeman, which followed by a police squad in a civilian car, the accused asked him to proceed to a parking lot near a cafeteria in the same area.

“At around 1.30pm, the two accused were seen sitting in the cafeteria. And as they saw the car of the ‘buyer’, AMO left the place, came back and stopped his car next to that of the ‘buyer’. He opened the boot of the car and lifted two big bags. As they were receiving money inside the car of the ‘buyer’, the squad was given the agreed upon signal and so they were arrested red handed,” testified Major Khalid Ali.

They threw the money in the car and attempted to run away, but they were arrested by policemen who chased them. They told investigators that they got the drugs from WMW, a sailor, who smuggled them into the country via his boat from Pakistan following a prior agreement with him.

Other police officers repeated the same testimony.
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.