A stomach-churning case

ABU DHABI — They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But in the case of a suspected drug-peddler, the stomach turned out to be the saviour from certain death.

By A Staff Reporter

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Published: Sun 5 Jun 2005, 10:41 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 7:57 PM

Malak Hussein Khusro, who was caught with opium hidden in his intestines, escaped the death penalty for lack of evidence that he traded in narcotics.

The Supreme Federal Court upheld the verdict of the Sharjah Court of First Instance which ordered 10 years in prison and a fine of Dh50,000 followed by deportation. The verdict was given in accordance with the Islamic Shariah and articles 1/6, 48 and 63 of the UAE Anti-Narcotics Law.

Police acted on a tip-off that the man was in possession of opium at Sharjah and was looking for someone to purchase the drugs. An undercover police agent was sent as a decoy, and Malak was caught red-handed.

Physical examination revealed that Malak had stashed away the opium in his stomach, and they were in three small plastic packets. The Public Prosecutor prepared a charge-sheet stating that the appeal was incontestable. It showed the arrest and search carried out by the police had complied with criminal investigation procedures.

The convict claimed in his appeal that he was forced to admit having committed the crime by police and the Public Prosecutor. However, the appeal was turned down on grounds that the court had the full right to endorse the culprit’s confession during any phase of investigation. Court documents showed that the convict had confessed to bringing the opium from Iran into the country, which substantiated the ruling of the Court of First Instance.


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