The former Westbrook business owner who was arrested on drug charges in November pleaded no contest to the charges in Superior Court Monday.
Abbas Al-Hamdany, 38, the former owner of Friendly Discount on Main Street, was charged with aggravated trafficking of cocaine in November, as well as violating conditions of release.
According WGME Channel 13, Al-Hamdany will be sentenced on Aug. 10.
Previously, Al-Hamdany has claimed that city police had harassed him for years and that his arrest was racially motivated. Though he has admitted to using cocaine, he insists he’s not a dealer.
Al-Hamdany first became known locally as a public critic of Saddam Hussein before and during the Iraq War. He came to the United States in 1994, after fleeing Iraq where he said he has said he was tortured and abused.
Al-Hamdany has said the traumatic experiences he’s had, including his family members being killed by a car bomb two years ago, have driven him to use drugs.
Al-Hamdany served 18 months in a federal prison after being convicted of trafficking cocaine 10 years ago.
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