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Two get life sentence in drugs case

DUBAI — The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday sentenced a Nigerian worker J.A. and a Pakistani visitor A.S., both aged 38, to life in prison after they were found guilty of possessing drugs with the intention of trafficking.

After serving their terms they will be deported, as per the court's order.

According to court records, on May 17, 2007, J.A. and A.S. were arrested in the Naif area after they were found in possession of 1.281kg of heroin. In a follow-up action 17.324kg of heroin was recovered from an office near a hotel in the Naif area.

An officer in the Narcotics Department of Dubai Police, testified that the police had been keeping a watch on the accused as they were suspected of dealing in narcotics. "We kept a track of their movements till the day we caught them redhanded.

They were in J.A.'s car when we took them by surprise in the Naif area. We found a yellow bag containing heroin that was found to be weighing 1.281kg. A.S. admitted he was assigned by a Pakistan-based dealer to deliver the bag to J.A. in return for a commission. He also admitted collecting $25,000 from J.A. for the consignment," the officer told the court.

The police officer further testified that following interrogation of A.S., the police raided an office near Hashemi Hotel in the Naif area where they found 17.324kg of heroin hidden in a suitcase.

The Nigerian admitted paying $25,000 for the narcotics to A.S.. He also said that he had carried successfully carried out several drug deals in Dubai for export to other countries.

• UAE