Dubai: A truck driver who was arrested at the UAE-Saudi border for testing positive for an active component of hashish was sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout of the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 35-year-old Jordanian driver of illegal drug use. He will be deported after serving his sentence. The court's verdict can be appealed within 12 days.
Prosecutors charged Z.H. of consuming tetrahydro cannabinol (THC), an active component of hashish.
Court records said the driver was crossing the Saudi-UAE border and was subjected to a routine drug test by an anti-narcotics officer. He was immediately arrested after testing positive to THC as the UAE has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs.The accused pleaded not guilty and insisted that his passport prove that he had been outside the country. He asked the judge to dismiss the case because his alleged crime fell beyond the court's jurisdiction.
Laced shisha
"I consumed hashish outside the UAE. Following the global financial crunch, I went on a four- to five-month long vacation. During that time, I visited some friends in Cairo and attended a wedding party where I was offered shisha. I was unaware that the shisha contained hashish… your honour, only God knows what was in that shisha," argued Z.H. when he defended himself in court.
"I have never touched, consumed or seen drugs in my life. I don't even know how it tastes or looks like. The shisha which was served to me contained drugs, but I did not know that," he added.
