Two expats get life in prison for drug dealing in UAE

Abu Dhabi - Prosecutors said police had been tipped off by their secret sources about two men who possessed methamphetamine drugs.

Two expats, who were convicted of possessing and dealing psychotropic drugs, will spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi has upheld earlier rulings by lower courts that handed the life in jail sentences to the Asian men after they were found guilty of possessing, promoting, trafficking and abusing meth drugs.
Official court documents stated that the men were arrested after investigations suggested that they possessed psychotropic pills and were distributing the drugs among youths in the country.
Prosecutors said police had been tipped off by their secret sources about two men who possessed methamphetamine drugs.
"The men were promoting and trading the drugs," said prosecutors, adding that police raided the place where the duo used to hang out and found them possessing drugs. The drug dealers were also found with another person, who was also charged in the case.
The trio was also found to be drug addicts as their urine samples tested positive for drugs.
Prosecutors had charged two of the men - the first and second defendants in the case - with possessing, promoting, dealing and using drugs. The third man, found with the duo during the raid, was charged with abusing drugs.
The two main defendants had admitted to consuming drugs but denied the rest of the charges.
Both the Criminal Court of First Instance and the Appellate Court had earlier sentenced the two to life in prison. They were also fined Dh10,000 each. The third man was sentenced to six months in jail for abusing drugs.
The two men challenged the life in jail sentences at UAE's top court stressing that they were wrongly convicted of drug dealing. The men claimed that the drugs they had were for personal use.
But the judge rejected their appeal and maintained the rulings of the lower courts based on evidence presented to court by prosecutors.
The trio will be deported after serving their jail sentences.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com  

• Abu Dhabi