Manama: A drug mule who had 105 capsules in his stomach as he transited through Doha’s airport has been sentenced to 15 years in jail.
The Malian national on his way from Brazil to Mali was also ordered to pay a 200,000 Qatari riyal (Dh201,960) fine for the 2.8 kilos of cocaine in the capsules.
Police apprehended the smuggler as he showed signs of unease while he was waiting for his flight home and took him to the country’s main hospital where an X-ray of his abdomen revealed the capsules, Qatari Arabic daily Al Raya reported on Monday.
The Malian reportedly said that he was approached by a man in Brazil who gave him the capsules to hand over to an accomplice in Mali who paid for his mother’s hospital bills.
The man in Brazil promised him $2,000 if he carried the drugs to Mali.
The judges said that they found the defendant guilty of trafficking in drugs and sentenced him to 15 years to be followed by deportation.
Qatar, like the other member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), apply strict rules on the use or possession or sale of drugs and punishments in some instances can be life in prison or the death penalty.
