Dubai court jails drug smuggler for life

A customs inspector at Dubai Airport was able to monitor an Asian while attempting to smuggle drugs during a transit flight from a South American country to his country of origin.

The individual was found to be in possession of 5.3 kilogrammes of cocaine. He was subsequently convicted by the Dubai Criminal Court and sentenced to life imprisonment, in addition to deportation from the country upon completion of his sentence.

The case dates back to July 2023, when a customs inspector initiated an inspection of the accused, who was situated in the transit area with a bag in his possession. He was tense and confused, and he attempted to evade the inspection process.

The inspector testified that the accused was requested to inspect the bag and to provide an explanation for his apparent distress.

He responded that the bag contained valuable items belonging to another individual and that he was fearful of being required to pay the taxes.

The policeman said when the suspect placed the bag on the baggage inspection device, it revealed an abnormal density.

Upon extraction of the contents, the substance was identified as cocaine. Subsequent inspection revealed the same substance concealed within a plastic bag in a professional manner. Accordingly, a report was prepared on the incident, and the accused and the seized items were transferred to the custody of the police.

The Forensic Chemistry Department at Dubai Police has confirmed that the seized items were cocaine in two plastic envelopes, weighing a total of 5.3 kilogrammes and listed in Schedule 1 of the Federal Law Decree. During the interrogation, the accused asserted that he was unaware of the narcotics that were concealed within the bag.

He further stated that he had received the bag from an unidentified individual in South America with the intention of delivering it to another person in his home country in exchange for $500. The court ruled that the accused should be sentenced to death.

However, due to a lack of consensus among the judges, the death penalty was replaced with life imprisonment.