DUBAI // Two men who smuggled more than 41 kilograms of tramadol and a herbal drug known as naswar were jailed by the Criminal Court on Tuesday morning.
Pakistani MA, 32, was arrested and charged with smuggling drugs after a shipping container in which the drugs were hidden was found to be registered under his name.
Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department was informed by Jebel Ali port officials that the container belonging to MA had banned substances within it.
He was arrested when he came to collect the container, which had arrived from Pakistan. He told police that he owned an import and export company that has two branches, in Dubai and in Pakistan.
“I was informed by the branch in Pakistan that a container of medicine will arrive but I didn’t know the medications were drugging tablets,” he said.
The Pakistani added that his compatriot SF, 50, was supposed to handle the contents of the container when it arrived.
Police had him contact SF and arrange a meeting. When SF came to the meeting in Naif, Dubai, he was arrested.
Both men were charged with smuggling drugs with the intent to sell. They did not enter a plea at the court last March.
Prosecutors said they found 69,880 tablets of banned medication in the container, as well as 41.194kg of tramadol.
MA was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Dh200,000. SF was sentenced to two years and fined Dh50,000. Both defendants will be deported after completing their jail terms.
salamir@thenational.ae