Court imposes harsh terms for drug use, trade

Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance has handed down tough sentences in cases related to drug use, smuggling and trade.

A British man who was caught driving his car under the influence of narcotics was given a four-year jail sentence to be followed by deportation.

A policeman testified that the 32-year-old man, identified as I.R., was spotted on May 13 by a security patrol while driving his car recklessly in Umm Suqeim.

According to the policeman, he had ordered the defendant to stop his car and get out after he saw him swerving dangerously. When I.R. got out of the car, the policeman could allegedly see he was under the influence of a mind altering substance because he was not behaving normally.

The defendant was taken to a police station where he confessed that he had smoked pot, a urine test confirmed that he had taken marijuana.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir sentenced I.R. to four years in jail to be followed by deportation.

Another defendant, a Frenchman who confessed that he had taken marijuana in Iran before coming to the UAE, was also given a four-year sentence.

The 26-year-old manager, S.B., will be deported after serving his sentence.

Underwear smuggler

A British man who tried to smuggle about two kilogrammes of cocaine into in his underwear received a 10-year sentence to be followed by deportation.

He will also pay a Dh50,000 fine. The 38-year-old man, identified as P.K., was arrested at Dubai Airport while in transit from Sao Paolo.

He had 92 capsules containing cocaine as well as a bagful of the substance in his underwear and two more capsules in his intestines.