In a rare verdict, a criminal court has sentenced a drug trafficker to death for smuggling 120kg hashish and opium by sea with four other accomplices. The others have been punished with hefty fine and jail. The first accused has been sentenced to death and imposed a fine of QR 500,000. The second and third accused got life imprisonment and a fine of QR 500,000 each. The fourth accused has been sentenced to seven years in jail and a fine of QR 200,000. The fifth accused received jail for one year and QR 10,000 fine for using drugs but was acquitted from the charge of possessing it, Al Sharq reported.
The court has also ordered to confiscate the seized drugs, mobile phones and diving gears that were used for committing the crime. According to the case history, a coast guard found three barrels of hashish and opium containing about 120 kg near Qatari waters. The five smugglers were caught while diving to take out this drug consignment from deep sea.
The security agency including anti-drugs department, coast guard and forensic laboratory arrested them red-handed.
The security agencies acted on a tip off received at anti-drugs department that one of the accused was trading in drugs and he was found diving in deep sea to take out drugs consignment hidden there dropped by the smugglers. A smuggler was arrested in the coastal area when his car broke down in sand as the police was tracing him as they became suspicious of his presence there. The coastal guards discovered three sealed barrels placed in steel cages in deep water.
