Dubai: A mechanic and a supervisor have been jailed for two years each for possessing 0.27gm of methamphetamine that they had planned to sell to a police informant.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 30-year-old Filipino mechanic and his 32-year-old countryman supervisor of possessing methamphetamine. Drug enforcement officers apprehended them after one of them tried to sell the drugs to an informant during a sting operation in Al Muraqqabat.
The defendants had pleaded not guilty and contended that they possessed the methamphetamine for their personal consumption.
Records showed the two accused possessed methamphetamine for promotion and consumed amphetamine and methamphetamine.
“We possessed the banned substance but for our personal use,” the 30-year-old told the court.
The presiding judge said the duo will be deported after serving their jail terms.
Meanwhile, the banned substances will be confiscated.
The mechanic was cited as telling prosecutors that he was about to hand over the methamphetamine to the informant for Dh2,000 after he had obtained the drug from the supervisor for Dh1,500.
His 32-year-old countryman was quoted as admitting to prosecutors that he gave the drugs to the mechanic for Dh500 and the latter was supposed to sell it to an unidentified person for an unknown amount of money.
An anti-narcotics policeman said they were alerted that the mechanic was planning to give a drug pouch to their informant.
“We raided the location and once the mechanic spotted us, he threw the pouch on the ground. The pouch contained methamphetamine … upon confronting the defendant, he claimed that he got rid of it because he did not want it to be seized from his possession. The other defendant was apprehended later,” he told prosecutors.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 13 days.
