An expat from Asia has been sentenced to 10 year in prison and a fine of QR400, 000 has also been imposed on him by a Doha Criminal Court for possession of Marijuana.
The expat was also indulged in the trade of the same narcotic drug. The matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Department (DEA) at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) after receiving information about the expat’s illegal activities. The DEA launched the investigation after getting the due permission from the Public Prosecution department.
Acting on the information, the DEA launched a search for the defendant and confronted him at the Al Mamoura area and upon frisking, Marijuana was recovered on his person. Following this, a thorough search of his residence was also undertaken during which more quantity (1.495kg) of marijuana was recovered.
To confirm the nature of the substances recovered from the expat, they were sent to the lab for testing and the test reports confirmed that the substance indeed was Marijuana.
The defendant pleaded not guilty and claimed that the narcotic substance did not belong to him and someone had asked him to keep it with him. In the face of the overwhelming evidence against the defendant, the defense lawyer pleaded before the court about his client’s innocence and requested the court to acquit him of all charges, local Arabic daily Al Sharq reported.
Taking into account the manner in which small quantities of Marijuana was neatly packed into small packages, the court concluded that the substance was indeed meant for sale and handed a sentence of 10 years in jail, QR400, 000 in fines and subsequent deportation of the defendant from the country as its verdict on the matter.
