Abu Dhabi’s Criminal Court sentenced a man who was accused of illegal arms trafficking to 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of $272,255 (1 million AED), the Judicial Department said on Wednesday.
The accused engaged in illegal trafficking, mainly of firearms and ammunition, without a license from government authorities, putting the arms up for sale on social media. This eventually caught the authorities’ attention.
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The illegal arms seller was contacted by an undercover agent who posed as a potential buyer.
They agreed on a price and the delivery locations of the weapons as part of the plan to arrest him, according to local media reports.
The man was then arrested upon delivering the weapon to the undercover agent. Prosecutors then issued a warrant for his arrest and to search his home, where they found more weapons, including bullets and ammunition.
Following the search, all weapons were seized. The man also confessed to possessing and selling firearms illegally during interrogations with public prosecution and the police.
He was convicted based on the evidence compiled by authorities and his confessions on the matter.
Selling, owning, or purchasing weapons without a license or permit is illegal in the United Arab Emirates.
The Federal Decree Law No.17 of 2019 on Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives, Military Material and Hazardous Substances, states that the “possession, acquisition, containment, carrying, import, export, re-export, transit, trans-shipment, trade, manufacture, repair, transportation, or disposal of any weapon, ammunition, explosives, military materiel, or hazardous substances shall not be permitted in any way, except after obtaining a license or permit to this effect from the licensing authority, or from the concerned entity, according to the provisions of this decree-law.”
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