Dubai: A passenger has been accused of smuggling in transit 1.35kg of cocaine in a handbag that he claimed to have been carrying to his uncle in Thailand.
A customs inspector stopped the 34-year-old Pakistani passenger at the Dubai International Airport’s transit section to have his carry-on luggage scanned in September.
Once the inspector detected a strange [thick item] in one of the small bags, the passenger instantly responded that he was not carrying anything that required to be declared.
The inspector opened the bag and found two envelopes that contained cocaine, according to records, that the 34-year-old alleged he was not aware of.
The Pakistani passenger was apprehended and referred to Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department where he claimed during questioning that he was not aware of the cocaine.
Prosecutors accused the suspect of smuggling in transit 1.35kg cocaine.
The 34-year-old Pakistani pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.
“This is a fabricated case and it was brought against me out of malice,” the suspect argued before presiding judge Habib Awad.
The inspector claimed to prosecutors: “Upon scanning his bags, I detected a strange [thick item] and found that one of the bags contained cocaine. He admitted that it was his bag but he alleged that he was not aware of the cocaine that was in a smaller bag. He alleged that his cousin gave him the small bag and asked him to deliver it to his uncle in Thailand since he was transiting via Dubai to Bangkok. The anti-narcotics department alerted me that the suspect was aware of the banned substance and that he had earlier been involved in similar incidents previously. I was told that he was one involved in smuggling drugs inside his intestines but when his companion died, he absconded from the country before being exposed and apprehended.”
A ruling will be heard on December 24.
