UAE: Two expats sentenced to death for selling drugs over WhatsApp

The Criminal Court of Abu Dhabi has sentenced two Filipino nationals to death for the crime of possession and dealing in narcotics and psychotropic substances, and ordered the confiscation and destruction of the seized products, confiscation of the telephones sets and all objects used in the commission of the crime, as well as the proceeds of the drug trafficking.

The two accused engaged in the criminal activity of drug and psychotropic substances dealing for the account of drug dealers acting from abroad, in exchange for money.

The two convicts received large quantities of drugs, which were beforehand deposited in uninhabited places whose location coordinates are communicated to them to collect them. The products were then sorted, divided, packaged, and distributed in the places they deem appropriate -- coordinates and photos were transmitted to the dealer, who in turn forwarded them to the drug addicts who wanted to obtain the drugs by communicating via WhatsApp.

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The police force searched their residences found a suspicious crystalline substance that proved following analysis to be a prohibited psychotropic substance. The police also found phones used by the two accused to sell the drugs via social media.