Singer reported to hotel security that after his performance he received a strange gift from an admirer
Dubai: A vacationer landed in trouble when he a presented a hashish-stuffed cigarette to a Lebanese singer following the latter’s performance at a luxurious hotel.
The Lebanese singer was said to have agreed to meet his 26-year-old Saudi fan [the vacationer] after his performance at the Jumeirah-based hotel in December 2015. The Saudi presented what he claimed to the singer to be a gift of admiration for his performance, according to records, before the Lebanese realised that it was drugs once he opened the present in his car.
Records said the singer returned instantly to the hotel’s security guard and handed them the present.
Drug enforcement officers apprehended the Saudi vacationer, who was shown on the surveillance cameras handing over the present to the Lebanese.
Drugs prosecutors accused the Saudi of deliberately transporting 1.54g of hashish.
The suspect pleaded innocent and refuted his accusation when he defended himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
Prosecutors said the suspect transported the hashish to the Lebanese but the latter was not aware that it was drugs.
The Lebanese signer claimed to prosecutors that the Saudi met him before the performance and asked to meet him later.
“After the performance, the man came to me and told me that he is a great fan and admires my songs. Then he handed me a present that he claimed to be a token of admiration for my music … he asked me to open the gift later and without being seen by anyone. When I opened the present, it turned out to be a cigarette. I was astonished and it felt very strange … I went to the security and handed them the present. I also told them what had happened … they identified the vacationer from the surveillance cameras. Later I was informed that the cigarette was stuffed with hashish. I did not discuss with the Saudi anything related to drugs,” the singer testified to prosecutors.
An anti-narcotics policeman claimed to prosecutors that when they reached the hotel, the singer informed them that the suspect handed him the cigarette as a gift.
“The surveillance camera footages clearly showed that the 26-year-old was the one who approached the singer and gave him the present,” he testified.
The trial continues.
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