Dubai: A manager has been fined Dh3,000 for bringing in 300 banned pills in his luggage as he arrived at Dubai International Airport.
Police officers at the airport apprehended the 50-year-old Egyptian manager when they found around 300 pills of Lyrica 300mg inside his luggage in October.
While defending himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance, he said he suffers from a herniated disc and that he had brought those pills for medication.
“I brought the pills … but for medical reasons,” the man told the court.
Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal said on Tuesday that the defendant will be deported.
The manager was handed a lenient punishment after his lawyer, Jaber Al Ansari, argued that his client did not commit a crime and had no criminal intent.
“He suffers from 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,” defended Al Ansari who requested the court to acquit his client.
A customs inspector at the airport said that the manager 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 primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
