Court Jails Man Caught Smuggling Psychotropic Pills Through DXB

A Dubai criminal court has sentenced a 30-year-old African man to seven years in prison for attempting to smuggle almost 2,000 psychotropic pills into the UAE through Dubai International Airport (DXB).

In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a fine of Dh200,000 and ordered his deportation after he completes his sentence. The defendant was also barred from transferring or depositing money on behalf of others, directly or indirectly, without prior approval from the UAE Central Bank in coordination with the Ministry of Interior. This restriction will remain in effect for two years following his release.

According to court records, customs inspectors grew suspicious of the passenger while he was passing through the arrivals hall at Terminal 1 of DXB. A search revealed pharmaceutical strips concealed among food items inside a plastic bag, containing 990 pills weighing about 540 grams.

A further inspection of his luggage uncovered another 1,000 psychotropic pills hidden among his clothing, taking the total number of seized tablets to 1,990.

The defendant initially claimed the pills were prescribed medication for personal use but said he had misplaced the prescription. He was later referred to the authorities for investigation.

During questioning, he admitted that he had brought the pills into the country for purposes not authorised by law. Technical reports issued by specialised bodies confirmed that the seized substances fall under the UAE’s schedules of prohibited narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

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