An Omani national was sentenced to death by firing squad in Ras Al Khaimah yesterday after confessing to smuggling drugs when he was busted by undercover cops. See the story in the Gulf News
Five drug traffickers to face firing squad in RAK
Ras Al Khaimah: The Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced five people to death. They were involved in drug possession and drug trafficking. The court session presided by Judge Bilal Abul Baqi passed the sentence on an Omani and four Pakistanis after they confessed to drug trafficking through the Oman-Ras Al Khaimah border.
A senior court official said they will be executed by firing squad.
The official added the Omani was searching for a buyer for one kilogram of opium and another kilogram of hashish when the RAK Anti-Narcotics Dep-artment received a tip-off and sent an undercover agent to do the deal with him. The Omani delivered the 2kg of drugs to the police source and he was arrested and the drugs seized.
During police investigations, the suspect confessed to smuggling the drugs in a television set, claiming it was a gift for a friend in RAK.
He also claimed the drugs did not belong to him and were for other people in the UAE who were going to sell them. During the court session the Omani did not provide any names of the people, thus a panel of judges sentenced him to death.
...
Drugs are now so rife in Oman that even the local papers are reporting the Government admitting this. That's how bad things are getting. While the Times of Oman reported that young Omanis are getting hooked on the demon weed of tobacco, last year Ministry of Health Undersecretary HE Dr Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Saidi confirmed that the number of registered heroin addicts had reached 1,862, and was quoted as saying that "there had been a particular increase in drug use among school and college girls". Hashish is considered common in schools too.
Being close to both major drug suppliers Iran and Afghanistan, and the big regional drugs markets of Saudi and the UAE, Oman is a major trans-shipment route for drugs and dealers are clearly encouraging a local market. Nearly 2000 registered addicts seems a lot in a country of only 2 million nationals.
Meanwhile, a branch of Bank Muscat was held up at knife-point by a masked man who got away with 48,000rials [~US$120k]. What's most surprising is the story was published in the Times of Oman too. That it was Bank Muscat is widely known but wasn't reported.
Those days of Oman being considered 'crime free' are a long way gone.
What the hell. So is Oman going to comment on the execution or pretend the guy didn't exist?
ReplyDeleteAnd would you know which branch of Bank Muscat it was? Where are their security standards? How can a man with a knife get away with something like that? Weren't there other people on duty.
Bah.
So Omani girls can be dangerous too.
ReplyDeleteNadia,
ReplyDeleteI know Governments usually don't like it when their citizens get sentenced to death by other countries. But you have to think in this case they probably figure 'fair enough', if he was caught red handed selling a kilo of opium and a kilo of hash and then confessed to it...
NCP
Yep. Those sweet little chaste junkies!
Oh, forgot to mention: it was Ghala. Apparently it was 3pm and there was only one person there.
ReplyDeleteIt would be unusual for the ROP not to catch them.
@UD: Isn't 48,000 OMR a huge amount for a cashier to be keeping it at the counter after banking hours (almost half an hour after the books have closed for the day)??? A friend of mine also told this to me today, but I think the employee(s) might be involved in this robbery... Bank's public dealing is until 1430 hrs, but the employees leave the branch/offices after 3:30... how is this possible that one person with only a knife can overpower 8-10 people in a branch???
ReplyDeletethis guy obviously didn't have an internet connection, or else he would have visited these sites and got some free pointers
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amsterdammarijuanaseedbank.com/donotgetbusted/how-not-to-get-busted-with-drugs.html
http://www.pointsincase.com/columns/nathan/6-28-06.htm
If this is what the Omani kids are getting upto, what about all these badly supervised expat brats?
ReplyDeleteWe have already heard about the porn being passed around via mobile phones(BSM YR 8's) and the drunken not many clothes parties. So if drugs are so readily available here surely that is the next move for these money rich/supervision poor teenagers?
Such parties are not exclusively BSM...even public schools have the problem of drug-fueled orgies, etc. Starting as early as 7th yr.
ReplyDeleteBank Muscat Ghala dhaakal
ReplyDelete