Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court issued a verdict sentencing a Pakistani to death on charges of possessing narcotics and psychotropic substances for trading purposes. It also ruled that the seized substances be destroyed and the car and mobile phone used by the defendant to be confiscated.

The case dated back to a tip-off received by the Abu Dhabi Anti-Narcotics Department that the defendant was promoting narcotics and psychotropic substances by communicating with a drug dealer outside the UAE, who used to deliver large quantities of psychotropic substances to him through others residing in the UAE.

These residents used to hide the psychotropic substances in different places and then send pictures and coordinates to the dealer, who, in turn, sent them to other accomplices through WhatsApp. The accomplices used to go to the indicated sites to sort and divide the psychotropic substances and put them in rolls for distribution in the places they deemed suitable.

Later, they used to send pictures and co-ordinates of these psychotropic substances to interested people so that they could buy them. Following intensive investigations, the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution was approached for a warrant to arrest the defendant to search the defendant personally as well as his residence and car.

After arresting the defendant in his place of residence, the police searched him and found a crystalline substance, which proved later to be a psychotropic substance. The police also seized the mobile phone that the defendant used to promote narcotics via social media.