Dubai: Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence against a worker who was caught selling four illegal pills to a police informant for Dh300 at Dubai International City.
Drug enforcement officers were said to have apprehended the 26-year-old Bangladeshi worker, S.M., red-handed selling the methamphetamine pills to the police informant during a sting operation in January.
Prosecutors accused S.M. of smuggling and possessing banned pills for trading purposes and asked for the implementation of the toughest punishment [life sentence and Dh200,000 fine] applicable against him. He was also accused of consuming methamphetamine and amphetamine.
However when S.M. showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance, he refuted the accusation of smuggling and possessing drugs for peddling purposes.
“I did not posses drugs for trading. I did not carry any drug actually… but yes I consumed methamphetamine and amphetamine,” argued the suspect when he defended himself before presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat.
An anti-narcotics police lieutenant claimed to prosecutors that an informant alerted them that S.M. possessed four illegal pills and was looking for a buyer.
“We tasked the informant with contacting the defendant and arranging to meet him and buy the pills so we could arrest him in a sting operation. We provided the informant with police money [Dh300] that was photocopied to be used as future evidence against S.M. in court. The informant met the suspect in the Italian Cluster at International City… once the informant signalled to us that the deal had been struck, a police stakeout team went to the spot and apprehended S.M. Police money was seized in his possession. We also searched his house and found other banned substances and special tools used for consuming drugs. During questioning, S.M. denied trading in drugs but he admitted that he consumed methamphetamine and amphetamine,” the lieutenant claimed.
Presiding judge Abdul Lat will appoint a lawyer to defend the suspect when the court reconvenes next month.
