Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

A 47-year-old Malaysian man has been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Dh200,000 for drug trafficking in Dubai. The ruling, delivered by Dubai’s Criminal Court, follows his arrest for attempting to smuggle ketamine into the UAE. Dubai Customs first intercepted a suspicious shipment from Belgium on December 15, 2023, containing nearly 2.9kg of ketamine hidden in a water filter. Another shipment from South Africa on February 28, 2024, was found to conceal 3.6kg of the same substance under a layer of brown powder. The man was arrested on March 19, 2024, at a courier branch in Dubai while attempting to collect the second shipment. Authorities discovered he was carrying a forged Singaporean passport. He was later identified as a Malaysian national. Despite denying the charges, evidence and witness testimonies led to his conviction. The case is now under appeal. ICA/Expat Media
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube page