Duo on trial after woman dies of drug overdose

dubai — Two brothers stood trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday for providing drugs to a compatriot woman, who later died of an overdose.

The two Emiratis — aged 21 and 24 — are also accused of possessing several types of drugs and psychotropic pills.

Hotel CCTV footage and records showed that the woman booked a room on November 22, 2018. One of the brothers was seen entering the hotel with her on the same night, while the other arrived next morning. A case was registered at Bur Dubai police station.

A police lieutenant said: “We were alerted about a death at a hotel at the Sheikh Zayed Road on November 23 last year. When we reached the crime scene, investigators and a senior official were already there.”

The lieutenant recounted to the prosecutor how they found the victim lying on a bed. “The forensic physician was examining the body. Medical pills could be seen on a table.”

The officer added that he then learned that two Emirati nationals, who were with the woman at the time of her death, were being questioned at the hotel lobby. The Dubai Police crime lab report showed that her blood sample contained traces of tramadol and two other narcotics. Her urine sample had three types of narcotics. The concentration of the tramadol and another drug in her blood was found to have been fatal. The two defendants’ urine samples tested positive for the same substance found in the victim’s system. The two brothers, who are detained, will be sentenced on March 24.