Dubai: A visitor, found swimming in Dubai Creek in front of Festival City shopping centre, was arrested by police and found to have illegal drugs in his stomach, a court heard on Monday.
Dubai Police were alerted about a Nigerian man, acting strangely and refusing to get out of the water in November last year.
An Emirati policeman said a police patrol boat went to collect the 29-year-old and took him to the Port police station.
“He was acting strangely,” said the officer. “I asked him his name and he started complaining about pain in his stomach. We took him to the bathroom and discovered that he had hidden pills containing illegal drugs inside his stomach.”
The man confessed to swallowing 28 pills in his home country before arriving in Dubai.
He said he was supposed to hand the drugs over to unknown people in Dubai.
The defendant was charged with possessing and smuggling 469grams of methamphetamine, and will remain in custody until a verdict is announced.
