Labourer resorts to drug smuggling, jailed

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A labourer who joined hands with drug dealers in a bid to smuggle meth to Saudi Arabia has been incarcerated for seven years.

The Asian defendant, 34, possessed with the intention of peddling 13 plastic bags stuffed with methamphetamine weighing 3025.9 grammes. He was nabbed on Feb.23, according to prosecution records.

During Dubai Criminal Court questioning on June 10 he denied. However, the court has found him guilty and sentenced him to seven years behind bars to be followed by deportation and slapped him with a Dhs50,000 fine.

On the record, the defendant was arrested in connection with a drugs deal aimed at smuggling drugs from Oman to Saudi Arabia via Dubai. The federal anti-narcotics department was tipped about him by Omani authorities.

An Emirati anti-narcotics police captain narrated that “Omani authorities alerted us that someone would receive the contraband in Dubai. And that the contraband would then be delivered to Saudi Arabia.” During a meeting on Feb.20, police officers from Dubai and Oman listened to audio conversations between a police source and a man residing in an Asian country. Both men discussed smuggling the drugs to KSA.

“Both were discussing smuggling four kilogrammes of meth saying the contraband will be delivered to a Chinese market in Dubai,” said the captain. The source posed as a skilled smuggler who would take the drugs to KSA.

Following three weeks of planning, the source met a man at one of the market’s entrances and took the drugs from him following which the police team started monitoring the man who turned out to be the defendant.

A joint police team from the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia monitored the gang’s movements. The defendant had four kilogrammes of methamphetamine in his possession but only three were seized by the Dubai Police. Police did not arrest him immediately as it would foil the concurrent operation in KSA. The remaining kilo was sent to the Saudi authorities who used it to arrest the other gang members. Police arrested the defendant on Feb.23.