DUBAI // Three Iranian men who smuggled 222.8 kilograms of hashish into the country were each jailed for life yesterday.
Dubai Criminal Court convicted A Z, 31, E P, 31, and M F, 50 of smuggling seven large plastic bags full of hashish, as well as 19,930 Tramadol tablets, aboard a boat on December 22 last year.
A fourth Iranian man, A A, 35, was convicted with possession of 10,350 Tramadol tablets, which he told the court were for his personal use.
He also confessed to an additional charge of consuming Tramadol and was sentenced to three years in jail.
All four men were also fined Dh50,000 each and will be deported after completing their jail terms.
Emirati policeman J K, 51 testified he was part of a sting operation assigned to catch the men.
“A police source was in contact with the first defendant to buy some of the drugs,” J K said.
During a meeting at Dubai Creek port he saw A Z unloading a large bag from the boat on to the pavement.
J K said that the police informant failed to agree on a price to buy the drugs from A Z, so the bust was rescheduled for the next day.
The following morning the source again failed to reach an agreement, but police noticed the three Iranians, aided by a number of sailors, unloading more bags, so they raided the boat and arrested them.
The other sailors were found to be unaware of the contents of the bags and were released a few days later.
However, the four Iranians remained in custody.
“A Z confessed the bags were hidden in the diesel tank on the boat,” said J K, adding that they told him the owner of the boat, who remains in Iran, stashed the bags there.
Police then tapped a phone call from the owner of the boat, who was unaware that the drugs had been seized, to A Z.
The owner approved a drug sale to a man driving a Toyota Corolla and ordered A Z to deliver the drugs.
J K played the role of A Z and met with the buyer, the fourth man, A A.
The verdict remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
salamir@thenational.ae
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
Famous left-handers
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Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
