DUBAI// A man offered to pay a customs inspector Dh8,000 if he let him bring six cats and 18 dogs into the country without the animals being checked by a vet, Dubai Criminal Court heard.
On February 21 this year, the Omani defendant, 27, tried to bring the animals into the country after buying them in the Ukraine. He paid the Hatta border guard Dh1,415 and promised to pay him the rest of the money after he had sold all the animals.
The inspector said he first met the defendant a year ago.
“He was entering the country and asked for my phone number. He called a month later asking about visit visas for an expatriate in Oman,” the inspector said.
In February the defendant called the inspector and told him about the animals.
“He said the dog breed was banned in the UAE and one would cost Dh4,000. He offered to give me one that looks like a lion, but I told him I don’t like dogs.”
The inspector told his boss who instructed him to play along until police were contacted. The defendant was arrested on February 21 after meeting with the inspector at dawn and paying him Dh1,415.
The animals were taken to an animal centre in Al Aweer. The defendant was not present in court to face a charge of offering a bribe. A verdict will be issued on August 1.
salamir@thenational.ae
