DUBAI // A man sentenced to 10 years in jail for smuggling six kilograms of heroin must see out his sentence, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Unemployed Afghan M A, 26, denied smuggling the drugs into Dubai International Airport and said someone must have stashed the substances in his luggage.
He was convicted at Dubai Criminal Court in March of smuggling 6.3kg of heroin, as well as 56 grams of opium with the intent to distribute.
He told judges that someone unbeknown to him must have been behind it and that he had cooperated fully with police and handed over his luggage voluntarily, something he said he would not have done had he known there were banned substances inside.
Customs inspector J A, 29, testified that at about 11pm on September 28 last year the defendant arrived from Afghanistan and, when the luggage was scanned, suspicious material was seen at the bottom of one of his bags.
“We checked it and found it was a black plastic bag hidden in a secret pocket at the bottom of his bag. It contained powder and he immediately said he knew nothing about it,” said the inspector.
The Afghan was also fined Dh50,000 and will be deported after serving his term.
He has 30 days to appeal to the cassation court.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
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