Dubai: A worker claimed in court on Tuesday that he thought that he had planted tomato seeds in his residence without being aware that they were cannabis seeds.
Acting upon an informant’s tipoff, drug enforcement officers raided the 32-year-old Indian worker’s residence in Jebel Ali and seized different quantities of marijuana in April.
After the informant reported that the worker had allegedly planted, possessed and consumed marijuana, drug enforcement officers obtained prosecutors’ search and arrest warrant before they raided the Indian’s house.
Following his arrest, the Indian was referred to the Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department where he tested positive for hashish.
Prosecutors accused the suspect of planting 0.51gm of cannabis, consuming hashish and possessing nearly 24gm of marijuana in different forms and shapes for his personal consumption.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said some of the confiscated drugs were in the form of cannabis seeds that were ready to be planted while others were in grass [marijuana] form.
The Indian suspect refuted the accusation of having planted cannabis seeds when he defended himself in the Dubai Court of First Instance.
“I did not know that those seeds were cannabis. I thought I had planted tomato seeds and when they grew enough to be harvested, I realised that it was not tomato. Yes I consumed hashish and possessed some but not for planting or harvesting,” the suspect argued before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.
When questioned by prosecutors, the suspect was cited as admitting that he possessed and consumed drugs after tests had shown traces of tetra-hydro cannabinol (THC), an active component of hashish, was found in his system.
Presiding judge Jamal will hand out a judgement on September 30.
