Dubai court jails two for life for promoting narcotics in Hor Al Anz via social media

The Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld the initial ruling that sentenced two Asian men to life imprisonment and fined each of them Dhs500,000.

The court also ordered the confiscation of the seized items and banned the men from transferring or depositing funds to others without the UAE Central Bank's permission and in coordination with the Ministry of Interior.

The ban will remain in place for two years after they have served their sentences, after which they will be deported.

The two men have been convicted of possessing and promoting various narcotic substances on social media before being caught red-handed in Hor Al Anz area.

The details of the incident date back to February last year, when the General Department of Anti-Narcotics received reliable information that the two defendants were in Hor Al Anz area in possession of hashish, which they intended to sell to users in exchange for money.

During the investigation, a police officer reported that the information had been verified following an inquiry, resulting in a warrant being issued by the Public Prosecution Office. A team of officers from the General Department of Anti-Narcotics then went to the location where the two suspects had been spotted and arrested them.

Upon searching the first defendant, three rolls containing a dark substance weighing 62 grams were found in his trouser pocket. Another quantity of drugs was found in the possession of the second defendant. During the subsequent interrogation, the two defendants admitted to hiding eight other packets of the same substance in various locations across the region.

The policeman continued, saying that he and a police patrol had escorted the accused to the locations where the narcotics had been hidden and subsequently discovered.

The two accused were then taken to their residence in Rigga area, where they pointed out a bag in their wardrobe. Inside the bag, they found narcotic substances weighing more than 550 grams, including substances listed in Table No. 1 of the Federal Law on Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances.

Tools used for dividing, weighing and preparing narcotics for distribution were also found. The court convicted the accused and issued the aforementioned ruling, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal.