A drug smuggler has been jailed for ten years after coming clean over his plan to ship heroin out of the UAE by mixing it with washing powder.
The 39-year-old, from the Seychelles, was arrested at his hotel room in Al Rafaa on April 23 after Dubai Police received a tip-off that he was in possession of drugs.
When quizzed by officers, the defendant admitted he had mixed nearly 1kg of heroin with Ariel detergent before sending it to a courier company to be shipped to his home country, Dubai Criminal Court heard
An Emirati policeman said a warrant had been obtained to search the defendant's room.
“We first investigated the information we received about him for possessing heroin and then obtained a warrant and raided his room,” said the officer.
While no drugs were found in the room, the man admitted receiving the heroin and arranging for it to be shipped out of the country.
“He said that he was paid to come to Dubai by a man in his country who also paid for the defendant’s hotel and airline ticket, in order to pick up the drugs then ship them,” said the policeman.
The drugs, which were still at a courier company’s office pending shipping, were seized and sent to a criminal laboratory for testing.
Heroin weighing 989.8 grammes was found mixed with 3.4 grammes of Ariel laundry detergent.
The defendant admitted a drug smuggling charge at court.
He will be deported once his sentence is served.