Heroin smuggler cleared after police errors

A man who was sentenced to death for swallowing 107 capsules of heroin before entering the UAE has been cleared by the appeals court due to an error in police procedures

ABU DHABI// A drug smuggler has been cleared thanks to police errors during his arrest.
The man was detained at Abu Dhabi Airport and was found with more than 107 heroin capsules in his stomach.
Officers said he was arrested after he appeared unwell and an inspection uncovered the drug stash.
But his lawyer discovered that a Dubai police officer knew his client would be arriving in the UAE carrying the heroin and had issued a general alert to apprehend him.
As police planned to arrest him, they should have applied to the public prosecution for a warrant.
The Appeals Court summoned the policeman and asked why he did not follow correct operational procedures in seeking a warrant.
The officer said he had been unsure which emirate's airport or border crossing the man would arrive at.
But the judge told him he could have applied for a warrant through the federal public prosecution.
The smuggler had been convicted by the Criminal Court and sentenced to death.
A lawyer for his appeal was appointed by the courts. Appointed lawyers charge basic fees of between Dh2,000 to 5,000, but this lawyer's considerable efforts prompted the judge to raise his fees to Dh25,000.
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