Dubai: Prosecutors are seeking a death sentence against two men, who were accused of possessing 0.07gm of methamphetamine for trafficking purposes following a drug bust near a hotel in Dubai.

Drug enforcement officers apprehended the Filipino men, 38-year-old R.R. and 34-year-old E.S., following an informant’s tip off that they possessed 0.07gm of methamphetamine and wanted to sell the same for Dh1,500 in May.

Drug officers arrested R.R. and E.S. during a sting operation near a hotel in Al Jafliya area.

Drugs prosecutors charged the suspects with possessing drugs for trafficking purposes and consuming drugs.

Prosecutors have asked the Dubai Court of First Instance to implement the toughest punishment applicable [capital punishment] against the Filipinos, who pleaded not guilty on Monday.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said R.R. and E.S. possessed 0.07gm of methamphetamine for trafficking purposes. R.R. was solely accused of possessing 1.6gm of methamphetamine for promotional purposes.

The two suspects were also accused of consuming methamphetamine and amphetamine.

“We possessed the drugs but not for trading … it was for our personal consumption,” R.R. told presiding judge Urfan Omar.

His countryman also contended that they possessed the drug for their personal use and not for trading.

The duo confessed that they consumed methamphetamine and amphetamine.

An anti-narcotics police officer said prosecutors’ warrant was obtained to search and arrest the duo following the informant’s tip off. “We were cautioned by the informant that E.S. possessed methamphetamine that he wanted to promote and had been consuming drugs. A drug team went to the location and identified the suspect [E.S.] from the photo that we had obtained of him from Dubai Police’s system. We apprehended him outside the hotel where he was standing at 12.15am. A policeman had spotted the suspect getting rid of a tiny pouch that contained methamphetamine. When I asked him about that material, he claimed that he had intended to sell it to a Filipino man for Dh1,500 … he claimed that R.R. had ordered him to sell it. He further claimed that he had been working for R.R. for a month and used to get Dh50 for each delivery. R.R. was also apprehended,” the lieutenant testified to prosecutors.

The court will hire a lawyer to defend the suspects when it reconvenes on October 24.