A man sentenced to 10 years in jail for possessing more than 3kg of heroin will have to see out his prison term.
Records show that the 21-year-old Pakistani man was arrested with 3.348kg of heroin on June 30 after police were tipped off about him.
“We received information about the defendant looking for a driver to carry the drugs to Saudi Arabia. We arrested him in Ras Al Khor and he was carrying a backpack which contained drugs,” a 38-year-old policeman said.
Police raided the man's apartment in Sharjah and found more drugs. The defendant told police that a compatriot in Ajman gave him the bag and asked him to hand it to a friend in Dubai.
“He told us he doesn't know the man’s name or address as he met him only once to take the drugs,” the officer said.
Police showed the man pictures of suspects from which he was able to identified the man.
At Dubai Criminal Court, the man admitted to a charge of possessing drugs but said he did not know what he was carrying.
“I had no idea what was the nature of the things I was carrying and I didn't even ask what it was because I didn't imagine it would be something illegal,” he said to judges in criminal and appeal courts.
Dubai Criminal Court sentenced the defendant to ten years in jail and fined him Dh50,000 for possessing drugs.
He appealed the sentence seeking acquittal but the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict.
The defendant will be deported after serving his term.
