Drug dealer caught red-handed in Dubai, jailed for life

Dubai Criminal Court sentenced an Asian drug dealer to life in jail to be followed by deportation after being caught red-handed by a tight trap. The court also ordered the seized materials to be confiscated.

The incident, which took place in Sonapur area in Dubai, dated back to April when the General Department of Anti-Narcotics received a tip-off that the defendant possessed a quantity of narcotics for sale.

A policeman stated in the interrogations that a trap was set to catch the defendant red-handed.

A police agent posed as a buyer and agreed with the defendant on the place and date to receive the narcotics, he said, adding that on the agreed time and as soon as the delivery was completed, the defendant was arrested.

The policeman went on to say that Dhs200 was seized in the defendant’s possession which he had received from the police agent in return for the narcotics.

In addition, three plastic bags containing 24 grams of methamphetamine were also seized in the defendant’s possession, he added.

Laboratory test results showed that the defendant was also abusing narcotic substances, as the analysis of a sample of his urine proved that it contained methamphetamine and amphetamine, both of which are psychotropic substances listed in Schedule no. 5 of Federal Decree-Law no. 30 for 2021 on combating narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and its amendments.

The 28-year-old defendant admitted during the prosecution’s interrogations that he abused drugs and that he bought the seized materials from an anonymous Asian trader, indicating that he intended to sell some of them to another person before it became clear to him that he had fallen into an ambush.

During the court session, the defendant denied the charge of trafficking, claiming that the sale was not completed and that his confession in the police report was made without the presence of a lawyer or legal translator.

His lawyer, however, argued that there was no specific criminal intent.

After reviewing the evidence, technical reports and the testimony of the officer involved, the court was satisfied that the charge against the defendant was proven.

The court emphasised that the defendant came to the location where he was arrested for selling narcotics and that his confessions to the prosecution were consistent with the rest of the evidence.