Appeal court abolishes Iranians drug smugglers sentence

SANA'A, June 25 (Saba) - The Court of Appeal in the capital Sana'a
abolished a sentence of the State Specialized Penal Court against 13
Iranians accused of possessing and fetching hashish into Yemen.

The court said that the sentence abolishment made due to the Yemeni
judiciary's lack of jurisdiction, as the boat's arrest was in the
international waters, based on a report of the General Authority of
Marine Affaires, so the crime has been taken place outside the
State's territorial limits.

The Appeal court sentence stipulated destructing the seized drugs,
and confiscating the boat and extraditing the accused Iranians to
their homeland.

The State Specialized Penal Court has sentenced to death Ayub
Mohammed Houd, 33, and 12 accomplices imposed 25 year prison
sentences each.

The 13 Iranians entered last March Yemen's regional waters holding
three tons of drugs and noted that the international forces had
arrested them while onboard the Iranian boat.

These forces destroyed the whole quantity and kept only 20 kilos as
well as the plastic covers that were handed to Yemeni authorities.