Dubai: A visitor has been jailed for ten years for smuggling 62 capsules of heroin in his intestines when he came to Dubai.
The Dubai Court of First Instance also fined the 24-year-old Afghan visitor, A.F., Dh50,000 despite having his claim that he was not aware of the nature of the contents of the smuggled capsules when he came to Dubai.
Customs inspectors stopped A.F. with heroin capsules hidden in his intestines when he arrived at Dubai International Airport in October 2014.
“The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment. The capsules will be confiscated,” said presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat. Prosecutors accused A.F. of smuggling and possessing 477gm of heroin with the intent to promote the drug in Dubai.
In an earlier hearing, the court modified the charge to smuggling and possessing drugs without intent.
The suspect pleaded guilty and admitted that he smuggled the drugs but did not know the nature of the substance.
“I just smuggled them,” A.F. told the court.
A customs inspector said he suspected the defendant once he reached the arrivals terminal at 8.50pm from Afghanistan.
“I accompanied him to a private room to search him. He seemed perplexed and afraid once he arrived at the customs counter. He walked with slow and heavy footsteps… that were why we suspected him. I asked him to present his identification papers and travel documents. A special detecting device revealed that he was carrying strange objects in his intestines. Upon confrontation, he denied carrying any banned substance. Thereafter he was taken into custody and referred to the anti-narcotics police,” claimed the inspector.
Despite having been quoted telling prosecutors that he possessed the drugs for promotional purposes, the court scrapped the promotional intent.
Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
