Dubai: A woman lost her appeal and will spend seven years in jail for smuggling and possessing 11,408 banned pills that airport officers found hidden under her clothes.
Customs inspectors at the Dubai International Airport apprehended the 39-year-old Pakistani woman once she arrived at the terminal in June.
In September, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the accused and fined her Dh50,000 for possessing Xanax and Prazolam pills for promotional purposes.
When she appeared before the Dubai Appeal Court, the Pakistani defendant confessed that she brought 4,738 Xanax pills and 6,670 Prazolam pills for her personal use. She denied possessing the banned pills for promotion.
Presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif upheld the imprisonment and fine against the defendant. He also said the 39-year-old will be deported following the completion of her punishment.
The accused contended in court that she was asked by a friend to transport the pills to another woman in Dubai.
A customs inspector said the woman travelled in the business class and was searched in a side room.
“When asked if she had been carrying any money, she claimed that she only had Dh300. Upon searching her, we found the banned pills wrapped around her body under her clothes. The scanner did not show anything suspicious in her intestines. When asked about the banned pills, she claimed that her friend asked her to transport the pills to another woman in Dubai … she claimed that she agreed to transport the pills for money,” he said.
The Appellate Court’s ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days.
