Dipping into trash to get a high

Instead of feeling like garbage after drinking too much, desperate men have been turning to garbage to get a drink.

An enterprising worker who stashed alcohol in a garbage bin before selling it has been jailed for three months.

Dubai CID officers received a tip a few months ago that M.S., a 41-year-old man, was selling alcohol on Al Muraqqabat Street.

An undercover agent went to the area posing as a buyer. He asked M.S. if he could buy a bottle of whisky.

M.S. asked him to wait a few minutes while he headed to a garbage bin, pulled out a plastic bag and took out a bottle of alcohol.

Seconds later, a police squad was called. The 41-year-old was handcuffed along with a 32-year-old compatriot, who was suspected of aiding and abetting him. Both men were taken in for questioning.

Police confiscated 45 bottles of alcohol found hidden inside the bin.

In his statement, M.S. confessed to selling the alcohol. The Dubai Appeal Court fined the 32-year-old, identified as J.D., Dh2,000 for possessing alcohol.