Dubai: A salesman and a mechanic have each been jailed for four years for importing magic mushrooms and marijuana for personal consumption using the postal address of their employer.

The British duo, a 24-year-old salesman, M.S., and a 33-year-old mechanic, A.M., used the mailbox address of the company where they worked to import magic mushrooms and marijuana respectively in May.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted M.S. of importing 7.43gm of drugs for his personal consumption and A.M. of importing 4.94gm of drugs for the same purpose.

The British defendants pleaded not guilty and refuted the charges when they defended themselves in court.

“It is not true,” M.S. told the court.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the duo will be deported following the completion of their jail terms.

Meanwhile the magic mushroom drugs and marijuana will be confiscated.

An anti-narcotics police lieutenant testified that an informant alerted them that the British duo had been using their company’s postal address to import banned substances.

“The informant cautioned the police that the defendants had been importing drugs and mind-altering substances for their personal use. When the last consignment arrived, a police raided the company to examine the imported goods. We coordinated with the company and asked them to inform the defendants that their consignments had arrived and to collect them. Neither of the Britons showed up and instead a third person came to collect the boxes. We apprehended that person and asked him if he had any information about the content of the boxes but he said no. The person claimed that M.S. and A.M. had asked him to collect the boxes on their behalf. The person collaborated with us and the duo was arrested in a sting operation. Upon confronting them with the imported boxes, the Britons claimed that they were not aware of the contents of the consignment. They also denied the third person’s claims that they had delegated him to collect the boxes on their behalf,” the lieutenant claimed.

Wednesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.