British man charged with possessing and selling cocaine in Dubai

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

The  Abu Dhabi Federal Court of First Instance has charged a 26-year-old Briton with possessing and selling drugs through a Telegram account.

The details of the case date back to June, 2020, when Dubai Police got a tip off that a man was selling cocaine through a telegram account he had created using a British phone number.

Dubai Police decided to catch the defendant red handed. A police officer posing as a customer bought drug from the defendant in return for Dhs4,500.

The currency notes used in the transaction were already marked by the police.

“When we met him, he was confused and looking around before handing over the drugs,” said a 30-year-old Emirati police officer.

“I was with the police source during the meeting that happened in a public place in Al Barsha area,” added the officer.

After handing the drugs to the undercover policeman, the man was arrested.

During prosecution questioning, the accused denied selling drugs.

“I bought the drug through WhatsApp a day before the arrest but the next day the seller asked me to return it and I did,” the defendant told investigators.

“It was then that I got arrested. But I can’t remember the details because I was under the influence of alcohol,” he added.

The British man told judges that he was returning the drug not selling it to a police source.

Citing discrepancies in testimonies, the defendant’s lawyer Awatif Mohammed Khouri, from Al Rowaad Advocates, insisted on witnesses being cross-examined.

Judges ordered witnesses be summoned before court and scheduled the next hearing on Jan.5.