Wednesday, Jan 29, 2014
Dubai: A musician and her friend have been cleared of possessing hashish for personal use.
The 40-year-old Swedish musician and her 45-year-old Tunisian female friend were acquitted of possessing hashish at the flat where they stayed in Dubai Sports City on August 20.
The Dubai Court of First Instance cleared the two women due to lack of evidence and because drug enforcement procedures were not carried out properly against the suspects.
Drug enforcement officers were said to have raided the flat and seized three cigarettes stuffed with 0.47 grams of hashish, a pouch containing 0.74 grams of hashish, a similar piece weighing 0.23 grams of hashish and another piece weighing 0.11 grams of hashish and two cigarettes stuffed with 0.2 grams of hashish.
The Swedish musician said the seized materials did not belong to her.
“I do not consume any banned substance,” she said.
“I have never consumed or seen drugs. I did not possess or use any banned substance,” her Tunisian friend claimed.
“Who is the owner of the seized materials? Wasn’t the hashish seized in the flat where both of you lived?” presiding judge Maher Salama asked the women earlier.
The women said the drugs did not belong to them and they had never taken hashish.
Their lawyers argued in court that drug enforcement procedures were carried out unlawfully against their clients and the accusations levelled against the duo were uncorroborated and unfounded.
Raid
An anti-narcotics police captain said an informant told them the suspects had hashish at their flat.
“We obtained prosecutors’ permission to raid the flat and have it searched. An anti-narcotics police team headed to the flat. We searched the one-bedroom flat and found different forms of hashish in different weights. We found tools that are constantly used by drug addicts such as a needle and special aluminium paper. Three pieces of hashish were also found inside chewing gum wrappers. Upon confronting her with the findings, the Swedish woman confessed that she consumed hashish and got it from an Omani man. We asked her to call her housemate and ask her to come to the house. We waited in the flat until 1pm when the Tunisian woman came. We arrested the suspects and took them for questioning,” said the captain.
Records did not mention whether the women were tested for drugs.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
By Bassam Zaza Legal and Court ?Correspondent
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
