A man who tried to smuggle four kilograms of marijuana into the UAE was jailed for 10 years just weeks after being cleared of the drugs charge.
The Indian was caught out by customs officials at Dubai International Airport on March 14 after concealing the haul of drugs in plastic bags wrapped with duct tape and buried under clothing in his bag.
The 27-year-old was initially acquitted at Dubai Criminal Court but has now been jailed after an appeal lodged by prosecutors.
“I asked him if he was carrying anything banned in his bag and he said no,” said an Emirati inspector, who searched the man's bag.
The woman found four plastic bags wrapped with duct tape under the man’s clothing.
The defendant denied any knowledge of carrying the illegal substance.
“I had no idea what it was. A man back home gave it to me to deliver it to his friend,” he said in court.
He denied a charge of smuggling drugs with a view to sell them.
Dubai Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and sentenced the man to 10 years in jail followed by deportation.
He was also fined Dh50,000.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
RACE CARD
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
