Dubai: A lawyer argued in court on Monday that a sequence of events that happened in five minutes could ruin his client’s future and land him in prison for life after a drug case was fabricated against him.
A 34-year-old Pakistani driver denied the accusation of having possessed 1,189 grams of methamphetamine for promotional purposes when he pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.
According to the charge sheet, the suspect possessed a cigarette pack that contained 10 grams of methamphetamine and the remaining 1,179 grams were hidden in plastic pouches that he possessed for promotion.
“I did not know what was in the bag,” the suspect told presiding judge Urfan Omar.
Drug enforcement officers apprehended the suspect in a sting operation following an informant’s tipoff that the driver possessed drugs for promotional purposes.
Meanwhile, his lawyer, Saeed Al Gailani, contended that the case was fabricated against his client and that drug enforcement procedures during the alleged drug bust when the 34-year-old was apprehended were improper.
“Law enforcement procedures were carried out unlawfully and improperly against my client. He was driving along with his cousin to Dubai when the person [alleged to be the informant] called him repeatedly and insisted on meeting him to collect a bag from him. When my client met the so-called informant at the agreed upon place, drug enforcement officers raided the place and apprehended my client. The informant had left a bag with the suspect, who did not know what was inside the bag. This whole operation happened in five minutes … and those five minutes could ruin my client’s future and end him up in prison for life. He is facing a serious accusation … this whole case was fabricated against him and staged,” argued lawyer Al Gailani.
The suspect notified the anti-narcotics officers that he had nothing to do with the bag, said the lawyer.
“While my client tried to explain what had happened, the apprehending officer told my client that the other man was an informant. Moreover, they did not find any drugs in his possession when they searched him. As for the drugs that were seized at his residence, it did not belong to him … actually he shares the residence with six individuals and one of them could be the owner of the seized methamphetamine. I ask the court to have the seized drugs be sent to the forensic laboratory to examine whether my client’s fingerprints were in the drug [pouches],” argued Al Gailani.
Prior to the lawyer’s defence, the suspect’s cousin testified before presiding judge Omar that someone had repeatedly called the 34-year-old and asked to meet him while driving to Dubai.
“My cousin met him and while I remained in the car. I saw that man giving a bag to my cousin. Then suddenly the police came and arrested him,” testified the witness.
“Why didn’t drug enforcement officers apprehend that man [the alleged informant] who gave the bag to my client? Why did they only arrest my client and not the other man who was still present at the location?” exclaimed Al Gailani.
A ruling will be heard on July 31.
