Drug dealer's life sentence is reduced

A drug dealer jailed for life for selling hashish has had his prison term reduced to 10 years on appeal in the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance.

DUBAI // A drug dealer jailed for life for selling hashish has had his prison term reduced to 10 years on appeal. BI, 31, an Iranian operations manager, was found guilty last December of drug peddling and possession of a controlled substance. He was acquitted on a separate charge of possessing forged banknotes. BI was arrested at Ibn Batutta Mall in a police sting operation following a tip-off.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance had heard that he attempted to sell almost 24 grams of the drug to an undercover police officer in the mall's food court. Anti-narcotics officers had set up a meeting with BI at the mall, where an undercover detective questioned him about the quality of the drugs. BI was arrested after directing the agent to a men's toilet in the mall, where the officer discovered the 23.98-gram stash of hashish.

Police said the subsequent search of BI's house uncovered a cache of forged US $100 bills, but the lower court cleared him of the forgery charges. The appellate court is expected to give its reasons for reducing the sentence in two days. @Email:[e-mail]