UAE court overturns three death sentences for drug trafficker, imposes life in prison

Dubai: A man convicted of trafficking large quantities of the amphetamine Captagon has been spared the death penalty after the UAE’s highest court overturned three previous death sentences, citing procedural flaws. He was resentenced to life imprisonment instead.

The Asian national had initially been convicted by Abu Dhabi’s federal criminal court after undercover officers arranged a sting operation in which he delivered a car trunk full of drugs on behalf of a dealer based outside the country. 

Investigators said he admitted to working with the overseas trafficker for a fee of Dh5,000 per delivery and had carried out similar transactions several times before.

The trial court unanimously sentenced him to death, a decision upheld on appeal and by the Federal Supreme Court. 

But the public prosecutor later petitioned to set aside the ruling, arguing that the panel that heard the case was not the same as the panel that read the verdict, a violation of established judicial principles. 

The Supreme Court agreed, ruling the death penalty invalid and ordering a retrial.

In the new proceedings, the man denied the charges and challenged the validity of the search warrant, claiming the investigation was based on weak intelligence. 

The court rejected his defense, finding that police surveillance had confirmed his role in handling a significant shipment of Captagon. 

Judges sentenced him to life in prison, ordered his deportation after serving the term, and ordered the confiscation of the seized drugs and tools.