Sailor in Dubai jailed for selling opium to undercover cop

Dubai - "A man stepped off a boat and came pushing a big bag on a trolley. We arrested him when he put the bag in our car."

A sailor, who tried to deliver more than 51kg of opium to an undercover police officer for Dh10,000, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail.
The 25-year-old Iranian was ordered by the Court of First Instance to pay a Dh20,000 fine and be deported after completing his jail sentence. He was also found guilty of using drugs.
A police officer said they received a tip-off that an Iranian man was about to deliver a quantity of hashish weighing 50kg to one of their sources for Dh10,000, which was the transportation fee only.
With a prosecution warrant, the officer went with the informant and other policemen who watched from a distance to the Dubai creek.
"A man stepped off a boat and came pushing a big bag on a trolley. We arrested him when he put the bag in our car."
The officer said in his statement in the investigation that the sailor denied being aware of what was inside the bag. He alleged he thought there was a water pump and that his friend asked him to deliver it to someone for Dh10,000.
He said his friend told him he could not deliver it himself as he suffered back pain.
The officers found a big quantity of opium in the bag.
According to the crime lab, the sailor's urine sample tested positive for drugs. The report showed that the quantity of opium seized from the defendant weighed more than 51kg.
The defendant may appeal the verdict.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai