DUBAI // A man who brought opium poppies into the UAE and claimed he was not aware the plant was banned here, has been jailed for four years.
Pakistani MN confessed to a charge of smuggling and possessing 227 grams of opium poppies at the Dubai Criminal Court last month. His lawyer said the 22-year-old did not know they were illegal.
“In Pakistan they use it in cooking and I brought them with me unknowing they were illegal here,” said MN who was caught carrying the plant on April 22 at Dubai International Airport.
His lawyer claimed the drug, which is a type of herb from which opium and poppy seeds are derived, was used in the past by mothers as medication before it was listed as banned in the Emirates. He requested the court’s leniency and MN be found not guilty.
However, his client was convicted and will be deported after serving his jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
