Man carries 2.3 kilos of cocaine in stomach

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

DUBAI: A man arrived in Dubai with 2.3kg cocaine stuffed inside 80 sheaths in his stomach, a gathering heard on Monday.

The defendant –a Peruvian employee, 49- walked into the Dubai International Airport carrying 80 condoms in his stomach –each one stuffed with cocaine saturated in an oily substance, prosecutors explained.

They weighed 2336 grammes in total. He was intercepted by Dubai Customs and Dubai Police Antinarcotics Department officers. He told prosecutors he was on transit to Egypt. Dubai Criminal Court hearing continues.

In a similar earlier case, a man entered Dubai after having swallowed condoms filled with cocaine-saturated oil. The Ecuadorian transit passenger, 32, was nabbed at the Dubai International Airport. He had 30 condoms stuffed with an oily substance containing 902.82 grammes of cocaine.

During Criminal Court hearing he confessed to the charge. The court sentenced him to ten years in jail and a Dhs50, 000 fine to be followed by deportation. He appealed the ruling and sought a lenient punishment. However, the Appeals Court upheld the lower court’s decision.

In that case, a Comorian cop testified before prosecutors that he was on duty at around 6am when a Duty Free employee alerted him there was an injured passenger near a shop. “I went to the passenger and found him bleeding from the head. I talked to him in English and Arabic but he did not respond.   

“I took him inside a police office. Medics tried to treat him but he refused help. I took him to a clinic where he started acting suspiciously,” explained the cop. The passenger was later referred to Rashid Hospital. A Pakistani cop said that the passenger refused to visit the toilet for two days.

They sought the help of a Spanish speaking doctor to convince him release what was in his stomach. He released the condoms at intervals. Records showed he attempted to escape from hospital four times. During police questioning, he revealed he was taking the cocaine to Hong Kong.