British tourist 'smuggles CBD oil-filled vape pods into Dubai'

Woman allegedly attempted to bring in cocaine, hashish and vape pods filled with cannabidiol oil

A British woman tried to smuggle cocaine, hashish and e-cigarettes filled with cannabidiol oil into the UAE, a Dubai court was told on Tuesday.

The tourist, 31, was arrested upon landing in Dubai International Airport on April 9 - though court records did not disclose where she had travelled from.

Customs officers grew suspicious of her after scanning her luggage and finding 4.4kgs of e-cigarette pods packed in two separate bags.

Officers also found a plastic box containing 1.4g of cocaine and another containing 6.3g of hashish in her luggage.

Officers seized 307 vape pods containing CBD oil – a component of marijuana that does not cause a “high” on its own but is illegal in the UAE. Vape pods are refillable cartridges of liquid that typically contain nicotine. The liquid is heated by a battery in the e-cigarette, causing the contents to vaporise and allowing it to be inhaled by the smoker.

The woman was arrested and taken to Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department. The seized pods were sent for testing at the criminal lab which, two weeks later, confirmed the substance was illegal CBD oil.

The woman was charged with possessing and smuggling banned substances but did not attend Dubai Criminal Court on Tuesday to enter a plea.

The court will reconvene on June 30 to summon her.