Dubai: A holidaymaker will spend seven years in jail after a court convicted her on Wednesday of smuggling and possessing around 3kg of methamphetamine during her stay in Dubai.

The Dubai Court of First Instance imprisoned the 38-year-old Nigerian woman for seven years and slapped her hefty fine of Dh50,000 after she was incriminated of unlawfully bringing in drugs to the UAE.

"I did bring the substances but I did not know that it was drugs or a banned substance," said the defendant, E.A., when she defended herself in court.

Pronouncing yesterday's judgment, Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir said the accused will be deported after the completion of her punishment.

According to the arraignment sheet, prosecutors accused E.A. of smuggling and possessing five bags containing nearly 3kg of methamphetamine.

An Emirati customs inspector testified that she suspected the woman when she arrived at the customs counter at 5am at Dubai International Airport.

Strange shapes

"When she placed her luggage on the scanner, I noticed some strange shapes on the screen… I took her to the search room. When I searched her personally, I did not find anything. However when I searched her luggage, I found five different nylon bags hidden secretly in the sides of the travel bag… immediately she said her belongings were inside the bag but she was not aware of the findings. She alleged that it belonged to someone else," claimed the inspector.

An Emirati anti-narcotics policeman testified that E.A. admitted that she smuggled the drugs from her country and was supposed to deliver them to her compatriot.

"She agreed to cooperate with us and help us have her compatriot arrested. We made a reservation for her in a hotel in Naif … then she contacted her compatriot and agreed to meet him to pick the drugs … after the deed was completed, an anti-narcotics police team arrested the compatriot in a sting operation. Upon questioning him, he alleged that he E.A. was his sister's friend and he just wanted to meet her. No drugs were found upon searching his house," claimed the policeman during prosecution questioning.

Records said the compatriot was prosecuted in a separate case.

The primary verdict remains subject to appeal within 15 days.