Dubai: Man gets life imprisonment for drug smuggling

A man was sentenced to life in prison by Dubai’s Criminal Court after being convicted of trafficking and possessing illegal psychotropic substances. A life sentence in the UAE is typically 25 years.

The man was additionally fined Dh200,000, and will be deported after completing his prison term.

The 47-year-old Malaysian national was arrested by Dubai Customs after they seized two shipments concealing substantial quantities of ketamine.

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The case dates back to December 15, 2023, when airport authorities became suspicious of a shipment from Belgium. Upon inspection, they found 2,892 grams of white powder concealed in a water filter.

Thereafter, a second shipment arrived from South Africa on February 28, 2024, this time as a package labelled as "Coffee, Chocolate, and Sweets". Inspections revealed approximately 3,638 grams of white powder hidden under brown powder in four plastic containers.

Forensic analysis confirmed the substance as ketamine.

On March 19, 2024, the defendant arrived at the Aramex's Al Zahra branch in Dubai to collect the second shipment. He was detained by Customs officers who were lying in wait for him.

During questioning, the man produced a Singaporean passport, which officers suspected was forged. After further questioning, he admitted that the passport was fake and subsequently produced a copy of a Malaysian passport.

While the defendant denied involvement in drug smuggling during court hearings, customs officers submitted witness testimonies and forensic evidence. The judges then sentenced the man to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Dh200,000 on him.