A court in Dubai has sentenced an Emirati man to death for drug trafficking under a law introduced three years ago.

The man was arrested, along with his Egyptian accomplice, when he tried to sell hashish to an undercover officer.

The Egyptian was sentenced to eight years and a fine of over thirteen-thousand dollars.

Although several foreigners have been convicted of drug smuggling, no execution has yet been carried out.

According to a health ministry report, Dubai has about twelve-thousand addicts who spend a total of seventy-million dollars a year on drugs.