As per the court records, his arrest from Al Hebab village outside Jebel Ali on September 23, 2007 led the UAE and Omani authorities to bust the nine-member gang and seizure of more than half a ton of hashish.

An undercover police captain, who posed as a local drug baron, was supposed to buy 250kg of hashish from the defendant. On the agreed date and time the Afghan turned up in an Oman-registered vehicle and met with the sleuth and another undercover policeman near a petrol station along a road in Al Hebab. The defendant unloaded seven sacks packed with 1kg bars of a brown substance.

As soon as he took Dh400,000 from the undercover policeman, he was arrested and the consignment weighing 258.65kg seized.

The Afghan admitted that another 250kg of hashish was concealed in a hideout in the Omani mountains.

mary@khaleejtimes.com