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Trio's death sentences commuted to life in jail for smuggling heroin into UAE

Abu Dhabi - Prosecutors had charged the men with smuggling psychotropic drugs and promoting them in the country.

Three men, who were convicted of smuggling in more than 15kg of heroin into the UAE and promoting drugs, have had their death sentences commuted to life in jail.
The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi upheld earlier rulings by lower courts that found the Asian men guilty of smuggling and trafficking drugs, but cancelled the death sentences and instead ordered that the men spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The court also cleared two other defendants after it was proved that they were innocent.
Court documents stated that the anti-narcotic department arrested the men after getting a tip-off that they had brought a huge quantity of heroin and psychotropic drugs on a ship and were trying to smuggle them into the country.
Prosecutors said the force checked the ship that had docked at one of the country's ports and found 15kg of heroin and a big amount of psychotropic drugs being concealed inside some bags. The police arrested five men, including the sailors.
Prosecutors had charged the men with smuggling psychotropic drugs and promoting them in the country.
Four of them denied the charges while one of them admitted that the seized bags containing drugs belonged to him. He said an Asian national had given him the bags to hand over to a woman in the UAE.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com