A man who tried to smuggle four kilograms of marijuana into the UAE was jailed for 10 years just weeks after being cleared of the drugs charge.
The Indian was caught out by customs officials at Dubai International Airport on March 14 after concealing the haul of drugs in plastic bags wrapped with duct tape and buried under clothing in his bag.
The 27-year-old was initially acquitted at Dubai Criminal Court but has now been jailed after an appeal lodged by prosecutors.
“I asked him if he was carrying anything banned in his bag and he said no,” said an Emirati inspector, who searched the man's bag.
The woman found four plastic bags wrapped with duct tape under the man’s clothing.
The defendant denied any knowledge of carrying the illegal substance.
“I had no idea what it was. A man back home gave it to me to deliver it to his friend,” he said in court.
He denied a charge of smuggling drugs with a view to sell them.
Dubai Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and sentenced the man to 10 years in jail followed by deportation.
He was also fined Dh50,000.