Woman caught carrying almost 2kg of cocaine

A woman tried to smuggle about 2kg of cocaine through Dubai, police say.

The woman, identified by Dubai Police as MM, from an African country, was arrested last week after officers saw her acting suspiciously.

DUBAI // A woman was caught at Dubai International Airport trying to smuggle almost 2 kilograms of cocaine taped to her body, police say.

The woman, identified by Dubai Police as MM, from an African country, was arrested last week after officers saw her acting suspiciously.

"We spotted her at the international transit area of Dubai airport having clear signs of fear. She also walked with a heavy step," a narcotics officer said.

Police said she had arrived on an Emirates flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was heading to Cape Town, South Africa.

"Female officers searched the suspect and discovered her to have been concealing the cocaine in plastic bags taped to different parts of her body under her clothes," said the narcotics officer.

About 1.8kg of cocaine was found. MM was said to have been offered US$5,000 (Dh18,364) to carry the drugs from Brazil to South Africa via Dubai.

"She said that she received the drugs in Brazil from an African person who told her to hand it to another person in Cape Town, who she does not know," the officer said.

MM was referred to the Dubai narcotics prosecutor's office to face charges of possession and trafficking drugs.

Dubai police called for the public's help in fighting drug crime, encouraging residents to report any suspicious behaviour.