DUBAI // Two men have been accused of trying to sell Dh1.6 million worth of amphetamines.
AM, a 23-year-old Dubai resident and EN, a 45-year-old investor, both from Syria, denied the charges in the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday.
According to the prosecution, the pair were found with 400,000 captagon pills during a police sting. The three-day operation in October last year involved a police informant posing as a potential buyer and an officer acting as his personal driver.
AM met the informant and the officer at a hotel, allegedly to sell the drugs, but the deal's location was then changed and AM unknowingly led the police to a warehouse in Sharjah where the drugs were being stored.
A Dubai Police official said he watched the two men load five boxes of the pills into the car before accepting a bag of cash. The pair were then arrested.
Prosecutors said the drugs were smuggled into the country by a Syrian man and a Kuwaiti who remain at large.
AM and EN will appear in court again on August 9.
In an unrelated case, also in Dubai, a Syrian man dubbed the "The Professional" by police is on trial for smuggling 4.2 million amphetamine pills into the country through Jebel Ali Port and storing them in a warehouse in Al Qusais.
Captagon, or fenethylline, gives users feelings of euphoria and increased self-confidence. Some women also use it as a weight-loss supplement.
amustafa@thenational.ae
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
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The specs
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Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more