Egyptian judge held for possessing 68 kg cannabis

Suez, Nov 11 (IANS/AKI) Police in the Egyptian port city of Suez arrested a judge, his driver and an Egyptian-Polish woman after 68 kgs of cannabis was found in the car they were travelling in.

The judge was charged with possessing and trafficking in drugs, while his driver and the Egyptian-Polish woman were charged with abetting him, the Egypt Independent daily reported on Thursday.

Four mobile phones and one licensed weapon had been found in the judge's possession, the paper cited a security source as saying.

The judge denies the seized cannabis is his and claims it belonged to his driver and the Egyptian-Polish woman, who is a university student.

The Egyptian-Polish woman alleges the judge and his driver were transporting the cannabis from the Egyptian province of Sharqiya to a man in the Red Sea town of Ras Sedr in return for 1,200 dollars, the daily said.

Egypt Supreme Judicial Council lifted the judge's immunity to allow prosecutors to interrogate him. He heads a petty offenders court.

Sniffer dogs found the drugs while inspecting the judge's car at a police checkpoint as he was travelling from Sharqiya to South Sinai, according to the security source.

--IANS/AKI

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