Heroin suspect arrested at airport

Dubai Police have accused a man of trying to smuggle 90 capsules of heroin into the country in his stomach. They said the man, identified as MA, was from an Asian country and arrived at Dubai International Airport on June 7. A scanner at the airport identified "suspicious" material in his body and when the man was asked by police if he had any drugs on him, he denied it. He was later transferred to a hospital where an X-ray showed there were 90 pharmaceutical capsules in the man's intestines, although police did not elaborate on their size.

It is believed the man sealed the capsules after filling them with heroin, so they would not rupture inside his stomach. If just one or two had ruptured, he could have overdosed and suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. MA is being held in police custody until a trial date is set. A file has been submitted to Dubai's Public Prosecution and he is expected to be formally charged. [e-mail]