Dubai: A manager claimed in court yesterday that the banned pills he was caught carrying at the airport was his medication as he suffers a herniated disc.
Law officers at the Dubai International Airport were said to have apprehended the 50-year-old Egyptian manager when they found around 300 pills of Lyrica 300mg inside his luggage in October.
Drugs prosecutors accused the manager of smuggling and possessing mind-affecting substances.
When the suspect appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance, he pleaded not guilty and contended that he possessed the pills for medical purposes.
“I did bring the pills … but for medical reasons,” the man contended before presiding judge Shaikha Hamad in courtroom three.
His lawyer Jaber Al Ansari said that his client was apprehended at the airport for carrying a prescribed medicine.
“My client did not commit a crime … he suffers a herniated disc that is so painful. Doctors in his country prescribed those medical pills as a treatment. We have provided the required medical reports and prescriptions to justify why he had been carrying those pills. He also obtained hospital reports about his medical condition and the required treatment,” argued Al Ansari who requested the court to acquit his client.
A customs inspector at the airport testified to prosecutors that the suspect was caught carrying banned pills at the arrivals terminal.
“He was taken aside for random search when the pills were found in his possession,” the inspector told the prosecutors. The ruling will be delivered on February 14.
