DUBAI // A man accused of drug-driving and having amphetamines in his possession to sell has been sentenced to life in jail by Dubai Criminal Court.

Filipino J J, 29, who confessed to possessing and consuming the drugs but denied being a dealer last November, was also fined Dh50,000 and will be deported after his jail term is completed.

Prosecutors said he was found to have nearly half a kilogram of amphetamines after police received a tip-off that he was dealing.

The man was arrested at an Ibn Battuta Mall car park and some drugs were found under the driver’s seat.

Records show that more drugs were found at his home in Abu Dhabi.

During prosecution investigations, J J said his uncle had introduced him to the drug world as a means of making more money. The uncle, he said, gave him the phone number of a Pakistani man who later gave him 200 grams of drugs and told him to sell one gram for Dh2,000.

He said he made his first sale to a woman in Abu Dhabi, who bought five grams for Dh10,000, then he sold more for a total of Dh40,000 and was paid a commission of Dh30,000.

Prosecutors say the Filipino confessed to then getting more drugs and selling them to his countrymen for more than Dh50,000.

Police got a tip-off about his activities and, on June 3 last year, he was detained after being set up to sell to an undercover policeman at the car park.

salamir@thenational.ae