Newly-Wed Man Cleared Of Smuggling, Possessing Drugs

A newly-wed man has been acquitted of smuggling and possessing drug pills which he said he carried as a favour for his sick aunt in the UAE.

The 26-year-old Palestinian man was on his way back from Syria when drug enforcement officers seized a sackful of 240 mind-affecting pills in his luggage at Dubai International Airport in September.

The man’s sick aunt, who lives in Abu Dhabi, called up her nephew, who had gone on holiday to get married, and asked him to pick up a bag from her sister, who lives in Damascus, to give it to her.

Out of goodwill and as a favour to his sick aunt, the 26-year-old man put the bag in his luggage without checking its contents and he was arrested once he landed in Dubai.

Citing lack of corroborated evidence and lack of criminal intent, the Dubai Court of First Instance cleared the Palestinian man of smuggling and possessing 240 Pregabalin pills.

The man had pleaded innocent and told the court that he instantly called up his aunt and informed her that the sack contained banned substances.

He contended before the presiding judge that his aunt rushed to the airport, presented the medical prescriptions and reports to drug officers that it was a prescribed medicine.

“I swear to God I had no clue that it was a drug. I was on a holiday and I just took the bag from my aunt in Syria, put it in my luggage and came here … I was supposed to hand it to my aunt in the UAE. I did not even look to see what was inside,” the 26-year-old suspect defended.

His lawyer argued before the presiding judge that his client did not have any criminal intention.

“He got married three days before he returned to the UAE. Why would he risk his future and his marriage? He was not aware of the contents of what his aunt had asked him to carry. His aunt explained everything to the police when she went to save her nephew at the airport,” the lawyer argued.

The man’s aunt testified to prosecutors that she was willing to be detained instead of her nephew and maintained that he had nothing to do with the pills.

The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 13 days.

source : gulfnews