Pubdate: Wed, 02 Jul 2003
Source: Khaleej Times (UAE)
Copyright: 2003 Khaleej Times
Contact:  http://khaleejtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/996

THREE GET LIFE SENTENCE FOR SMUGGLING DRUGS

DUBAI - Three Iranian sailors were yesterday sentenced to life in prison by 
the Dubai Court of First Instance for trafficking, possession and trading 
in narcotic substances.

The defendants were among six Iranian sailors arrested in a raid on a dhow 
berthed along the Dubai Creek in January, which netted 45.4kg of hashish.

The court convicted A. Z. M., 27; J. K. M., 37; and A. A. N., 44; but found 
both H. H. S., the captain of the dhow, and S. K. M., another accused, not 
guilty on drugs charges. The court referred the case of A. A. M., one of 
the arrested sailors, to the juveniles court.

The case dates to January 2, when police learned that an Iranian man was 
trying to sell 43kg of hashish.

The man was contacted by an undercover police officer posing as a 
businessman. The officer met A. Z. M. at a five star hotel at 6.30pm the 
same day to agree on the price for the drugs. The defendant gave the 
officer a sample of the drugs to test. After making sure the sample was 
authentic, the undercover officer then agreed to buy the drugs for Dh7,000 
per kilogram instead of the Dh8,000 the defendant was asking for. The 
defendant agreed but insisted the exchange be held the next morning.

The next morning at 9.30am, the defendant and undercover officer met at the 
hotel to exchange the drugs and cash.

The undercover officer gave the defendant Dh301,000 and the defendant gave 
him the hashish, at that point the defendant was arrested by the other 
members of the operation.

The defendant told police that he got the drugs from a dhow berthed along 
the creek and that the drugs had been brought from Iran.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart