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28 March 2024

Expat drug convicts must be deported: top court

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By Staff

The UAE’s top court has ruled that expatriates convicted in drug cases must be deported from the UAE in line with federal anti-narcotics laws.

The Federal Supreme Court (FSC) re-emphasized the rule when it overturned a sentence by a lower court in Abu Dhabi punishing an expatriate man after he was convicted of taking drugs without ordering his deportation.

The man was earlier sentenced by a court to one year in jail and ordered deported, prompting him to appeal the verdict. A court of appeals fined him Dh1,000 for illegally possessing Tramadol and abolished the jail and deportation order.

The verdict prompted the prosecutor to appeal with the FSC on the grounds the court of appeals violated federal laws which involve deportation of expatriates in drug cases.

“The FSC overturned the sentence by the court of appeals and ordered the deportation of the defendant,” the Arabic language daily Emarat Al Youm said.

“The FSC found that the court of appeals made a mistake in the application of the federal law when it failed to sentence the defendant to deportation.”