DUBAI // Five men who were arrested in Dubai for cocaine possession have told a court they are being framed.
AW, a 54-year-old Lebanese man, was arrested at Dubai International Airport on September 29 after narcotics agents were told he would be bringing cocaine into the UAE.
Officers found 50 grams of the drug hidden in plastic sheets inside his shoes.
In court this morning, A W admitted to the charge of possession but told the judge he had no intent to sell it and that the stash was for his personal use.
A W reasoned with the court that if he wanted to trade in narcotics he would not have brought only 50 grams. "I am 54 years old. Do you really think I would trade in 50 grams? This was for my personal use, your honour," he said.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute carries a life sentence, whereas the charges for possession and consumption usually carry a sentence of four years.
Four other defendants, Lebanese A I, 33, Emirati manager W S, 38, Frenchman H N, 28 and Emirati K M, 35 were all charged with possession and consumption of the cocaine.
All were arrested at the Millennium Airport Hotel in Garhoud after A W told narcotics agents they were his customers, records show.
The other suspects have also denied the charges, claiming that prosecutors framed them.
A I told presiding Judge Hamad Abdel Latif that the narcotics agents had nothing on him so they framed him with the charges and wanted to 'get him'.
amustafa@thenational.ae
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to wear a kandura
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- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,
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