Dubai: A visitor claimed in court on Monday that two men stopped him in Kabul and threatened to kill him if he didn’t smuggle 90 hashish capsules in his stomach to Dubai.

Law enforcement officers were said to have foiled the attempt of the 50-year-old Afghan visitor, M.Z., to smuggle the hashish capsules after a special detecting device exposed strange objects in his intestines when he reached Dubai International Airport in July.

“I did not carry the drugs willingly. Two men picked me up in the streets of Kabul … they drugged me and threatened to kill me if I did not swallow the drugs and smuggle them to Dubai,” said the defendant when he entered a not guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.

Drugs prosecutors had accused M.Z. of smuggling and possessing 910gm of hashish for promotional purposes.

Presiding judge Ezzat Mansour modified the accusation as he dropped the intent to promote the drugs.

“The court has changed the accusation to smuggling and possessing drugs without intent,” he said in court.

When asked how he was forced to swallow the capsules, M.Z. contended: “They stuck a needle in my arm and drugged me. Then they forced me to swallow the capsules … they said they would kill me if I did not take the drugs and deliver them to someone in Dubai. Then those two men took me to the airport and they escorted me on the plane to Dubai. I tried to tell the passengers that those men had drugged me and coerced me to swallow drug capsules … but the two men told the passengers that I was crazy.”

“Why did they pick you out of all people?” presiding judge Mansour asked the defendant.

“Sir, I am a carpenter from Kabul. I do not know those people … they threatened to kill me. They stopped me in the street and said they had a mission for me. I am not guilty,” he explained.

A law enforcement officer at the airport claimed to prosecutors that he suspected the defendant because he did not have any luggage on him except for a small nylon bag.

“When I asked him the reason for his visit, he claimed that he planned to stay one week. Upon having him go through the detecting device, I discovered strange objects in his intestines. When I confronted him, he admitted that had swallowed drug capsules,” said the officer.

A ruling will be heard on October 26.