Drug case suspect pleads for trial to be put off till he sells his land

Dubai: A suspect who confessed to possessing and consuming drugs has asked a judge to give him time to dispose of his land and properties before starting his trial.

"Your honour, I want to get rid of all this. I possessed and consumed drugs and I am guilty. But please don't sentence me now! Sentence me after I sell my lands and properties," argued the 51-year-old sailor, drawing smiles from the three-judge panel of the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The Public Prosecution charged the Emirati defendant, M.K., with possessing 11 pieces of hashish weighing about 373 grammes, a cigarette containing a mixture of hashish and tobacco weighing 0.87 grammes and a dark-coloured piece of hashish weighing 0.35 grammes he had kept ready for use.

He was also charged with consuming tetra-hydro cannabinol, an active component of hashish, which was found in his urine.

An Emirati police lieutenant testified that an informant alerted the anti-narcotics department that the accused was given to stocking and using hashish in his house in the Mirdif area.

"An anti-narcotics police squad raided his house around 5.55am one morning. He voluntarily confessed that he had been addicted to hashish for years. He also took squad members to the hideout where he kept the drugs."

A verdict will be issued next month.