Court hears fishy tale about hashish

DUBAI // A man told a court on Tuesday that he believed the freezer box he bought contained shrimp – but in fact it held 16 kilograms of hashish.

Emirati K A also told the Dubai Criminal Court that he did not know he was taking drugs – he was just tasting the contents of the freezer to find out what it actually was.

K A, 49, who denied intentionally buying drugs and taking them, said: “I bought shrimps, but when I got home I discovered I got the wrong freezer.

“I didn’t take drugs, I just tasted the contents of the freezer to find out its true nature. I thought it was dried fruits and wanted to make sure so I took a small amount on a plate and tasted it.”

Prosecutors said they found the drugs in K A’s possession in several plastic bags on October 27 last year. Emirati anti-narcotics police captain A R said they had been tipped off about the defendant for possessing a large amount of drugs to sell.

“We had him under surveillance after he left his home in Mazhar area and saw him park near the fence of Mushrif Park. He then looked around, checking his surroundings, before placing a bag near the fence. Then he left,” A R said.

Police followed K A until he stopped at traffic lights where a police patrol stopped behind his car and the surveillance team in front of it. “I gave orders to the patrol to close in on his vehicle, after which we apprehended him,” said the captain, who had officers waiting near the bag he dropped to find out who would pick it up.

“I asked him what he was doing near Mushrif Park and he said: ‘You would know the answer to your own question since you were following me’,” A R said.

Police said the freezer had been shipped from Iran through the Jebil Ali Port. “He told me he did not know it contained hashish,” A R said.

The defendant allegedly told prosecutors that he did consume hashish, but only occasionally because it helped provide relief from migraines.

The next hearing will be on February 7.