UAE | Crime
Bodybuilder's friend held for smuggling
A 22-year-old Emirati student who forged a VIP identity card is standing trial on charges of illegally bringing in 3,817 mind-affecting and bodybuilding pills, most of which were meant for his friend, a member of the UAE national bodybuilding team.
- By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:47 March 3, 2008
Dubai: A 22-year-old Emirati student who forged a VIP identity card is standing trial on charges of illegally bringing in 3,817 mind-affecting and bodybuilding pills, most of which were meant for his friend, a member of the UAE national bodybuilding team.
The student claimed that he uses the pills as treatment for a mental disorder.
He claimed that his compatriot friend, who is a bodybuilder with the national team, paid him Dh80,000 to bring him the muscle-building pills from India.
Forgery charges
The Public Prosecution charged him with smuggling and possessing 3,817 pills which contained a mind-affecting substance. He was also charged with consuming different kinds of mind-affecting substances.
He was also charged with forging a VIP identity card to evade being searched by the airport customs.
The Public Prosecution also charged him with importing medicines without permission from the health authorities.
When he appeared before Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday, the suspect, who has been detained, denied forging or using the fake ID.
He confessed to bringing in the pills and told the court: "The mind-affecting substances are for my medical treatment."
A 26-year-old customs inspection officer testified: "When the suspect arrived at the search counter, he showed the card and refused to have his handbags scanned. The card read 'allow its carrier to enter anyplace without obstruction'. I suspected the card and asked him for his passport which identified him as an ordinary citizen."
A hearing will be held later this month.
Drug charges: Media personality freed
A senior executive of a UK based television company has been acquittted of illegally bringing in and possessing 0.03gm of hashish, Gulf News learnt on Sunday.
The Dubai Public Prosecution dismissed the charges against the German suspect, K.T., and decided to release the suspect soon. "The Attorney General has decided to dismiss the charges against my client and issued a release order yesterday noontime,"
K.T.'s lawyer Nasser Hashim of Al Kamali Advocates and Legal Consultants told Gulf News. A customs inspector stopped the suspect, who came on a business trip, at Dubai International Airport for illegally bringing in and possessing the banned substance during the last week of January.
"The suspect, who is a media figure in the UK, was unaware the drug was in the bag which he claims is used by many of his friends. The seized drugs [0.03 grams] are barely visible to the naked eye," Hashim said in his appeal which he submitted to the Public Prosecution.
The lawyer argued that his client had no criminal intention and wouldn't risk his future and career by possessing hashish "especially as he works for a reputable institution".
Community Reports
-
Bridges needed
Al Ittihad Road has no pedestrian facilities as one nears Sharjah
-
Street lights needed
Authorities urged to act with haste before a major accident occurs in Al Nahda, Dubai
-
Motorists ignore stop sign on buses
Overtaking school vehicles can put students' lives at risk
-
Safety regulations flouted at Dubai work place
In Al Nahda 2, two workers were seen working on the crane boom at a height of 20m without a full body harness or safety net in violation of rules
Latest news
- New road widens JLT access
- Filipino students, groups attend cultural meet
- For this maestro, it's all about the sound
- Experts can't tell old instruments from new
- Sound of violins
- Facilitators: Helping others find joy
- Volunteers remove garbage from Mamzar beach
- Clean-up campaign set to raise awareness
- Sharjah landmarks bathed in light
- Shaikh Mohammad meets South Korea leader
- New rules for Abu Dhabi buildings
- Four poised to chase their dreams in Dubai
- In the pursuit of happiness
- Get friends on board, zip away with Salik bonus
- Dubai hospitals debut life-saving procedure
