Duo who shot at officers during drug bust could face execution
Pair was allegedly trying to sell hashish to undercover policemen
Abu Dhabi: Two men charged with allegedly possessing narcotics and shooting and injuring policemen on duty, appeared yesterday at the Abu Dhabi Criminal court on charges that could lead to their execution.
The case was adjourned until April 30 after the two men denied the charges in court.
According to the prosecutor, two undercover policemen were negotiating a deal with the two suspects, F.A, 19, a Yemeni, and M.K, 26, an Emirati, to buy 20kg of hashish for Dh228,000. The deal was conducted in the Bani Yas area on February 12.
The police say one of the two suspects started shooting at them after the deal.
The two denied the charges of importing hashish for trading purposes, but confessed to smoking the substance.
F.A admitted violently fighting with police officers, not knowing they were undercover policemen, while M.K denied shooting at the police officers and told the court he had no arms in his possession at the time of his arrest.
‘Half the price'
The court also heard testimonies from the two officers involved in the operation.
The first lieutenant explained that his role was to reach an agreement with F.A. to sell him 40kg of hashish for Dh486,000. The suspect called him to tell him that he was only a broker mediating the sale of the hashish and he could offer half the amount required for half the price.
The lieutenant said the suspect called him again to fix the date and place of delivery.
All legal procedures were then taken.
"At the completion of the deal and after I unveiled my identity, the Emirati suspect started the shooting. I was hit with three bullets, one in the lower jaw, one in my stomach and the third in my leg. He also shot the first sergeant who tried to drive the car but it broke down with the 13 shots fired by the suspects," said the first lieutenant.
The police arrested F. A, while M.K. managed to escape in his vehicle. M.K was arrested within two hours by a Border Patrol near Al Madam area in Sharjah. The man was trying to flee the country.
The police officer said he and his partner were not armed because they expected to be searched for weapons by the drug dealers. He also explained that the police had a video showing a meeting with the criminals three days prior to the incident to finalise the deal.
The court ordered the prosecutor to include the video tape among the case documents.
M.K. was also referred to be examined by the Forensic doctor to determine the cause of his injuries.
