DUBAI: Three men have been sentenced to 10 years in jail each for attempting to smuggle heroin from the UAE into Qatar.
Dubai Criminal Court said the men were caught with 2.2 kilograms of the drug. They had been paid about 400,000 rupees (Dh22,754) by a dealer in Pakistan.
The Pakistani men, aged between 35 and 47, were arrested on February 27 after police received a tip-off.
“We received confirmed information about one of them using and selling heroin, so we double checked the information then obtained an arrest warrant,” a police captain, 41, said.
He said one was arrested in Sharjah, where he worked as a taxi driver.
Police found the drugs in the taxi and more in the man’s clothes in his accommodation.
“He told us he was going to hand it to a man in Dubai, so we had him arrange for a delivery of the drugs and the man who arrived to pick up the heroin was arrested too,” said the captain.
The second man told police that the third defendant sent him to pick the drugs up. Another delivery was arranged under the supervision of police and the third suspect was arrested in Ras Al Khor.
All three were described as drivers.
The captain noted that the trio admitted being directed by a man in Pakistan to handle heroin deliveries and sales, in return for some of the profit.
“They confessed to smuggling drugs to Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” said the captain.
In addition to their sentence, the men will each have to pay Dh50,000 before they are released and deported.
