Dubai: Two jobless men have been jailed for breaking into a pharmacy and stealing condoms and other medical products while they were under the influence of a mind-altering substance.

The Emirati defendants, 41-year-old A.I. and 21-year-old H.A., were said to have used a screwdriver and a hammer to break into the pharmacy in Al Mankhool on December 1.

They took the cash register that contained Dh6,075 and medical products, including condoms, and blood glucose monitoring devices. The defendants consumed different kinds of mind-altering substances before they robbed the pharmacy.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the duo for one year for consuming banned substances and three months for breaking in and theft.

A.I. and H.A. pleaded guilty. When they appeared in court, they asked presiding judge Wajdi al Menyawi to send them to a rehabilitation centre for treatment for their addiction.

An Egyptian pharmacist testified that the building’s watchman informed him that he found the pharmacy’s front door broken at around 5.45am.

“When I checked the pharmacy, I discovered that one person or more had broken into the pharmacy and stolen the register and different medical products. I reported this to the police immediately,” claimed the pharmacist.

Prosecutors accused A.I., H.A. and two juvenile suspects [who were referred to the Dubai Juvenile Court] of breaking into the pharmacy and stealing the medical products and cash.

An Emirati police lieutenant testified that police were informed about different thefts that had been carried out using the same modus operandi in the same area.

“A police team busted the defendants on December 17 for being involved in other heists. We confiscated Dh480 from A.I. and a medical strip of a banned substance. The defendants admitted that they took a car belonging to H.A.’s mother and headed to the pharmacy. They broke the glass of the front door with a screwdriver and hammer and ransacked the place before fleeing,” claimed the lieutenant.

The primary judgement remains subject to appeal within 15 days.