UAE court bans man from money transfers after funding drug purchases

Dubai: A European man has been barred from transferring money, either personally or through intermediaries, for two years without prior approval from the UAE Central Bank, after being convicted of depositing funds into a bank account linked to drug dealers.

The ruling, issued by a local court, also imposed a Dh10,000 fine, Emarat Al Youm reported. 

According to police records, the defendant admitted during questioning that he had deposited money on two occasions into the account in question in exchange for purchasing quantities of crystal meth and hashish. 

He told investigators that the transactions followed contact with a dealer via WhatsApp, during which images of the drugs were sent to him before payment was made.