DUBAI // Six Arab men were sentenced to life in jail after Dubai Criminal Court convicted them of possessing nearly 200,000 amphetamine tablets.
Last August, A A, 38, from Lebanon, and Syrians B S, 27, S M, 33, K A, 30, M T, 47, and A H, 26, all denied charges of possessing drugs with the intent to distribute.
B S told Dubai Criminal Court judges that he was asked to deliver a bag but he had no idea what its contents were, while A H said he knew nothing about the drugs.
The other men claimed they possessed the drugs for personal use.
Prosecutors told the court that on July 26 last year that Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department seized 193 kilos of amphetamine pills.
Police captain A R testified that they received a tip-off that A A and M T possessed Captagon pills.
“We were told that they were offering a large amount of the pills for Dh1.3 million,” he said.
A police officer was assigned to play the role of a Saudi national who was interested in buying the amphetamines.
On July 26, officers arrested the men in a car park in the British cluster of International City.
Some of the defendants were acting as lookouts while the drugs deal went on, the officer said.
K A was also charged with using drugs, to which he confessed to in court.
All the defendants were fined Dh200,000 and will be deported after serving their jail terms.
The verdicts remain subject to appeal within 15 days.
salamir@thenational.ae
