An Australian who said he was a United Nations-registered philanthropist has been jailed for seven years for smuggling more than 3,000 methamphetamine pills into the country.
The 67-year-old had told Dubai Criminal Court that a taxi driver damaged his bag then offered him a replacement that, unknown to him, contained drugs.
He said he was travelling from the Ivory Coast to Japan via Dubai when the incident occurred with a taxi driver in the African country. Dubai Customs officials found the drugs in the bag.
"I had no idea there were such tablets in my bag," the defendant said in court last month.
The man said he was a well-known businessman in Australia, with dealings in several countries, and that he had never broken a law anywhere.
He also said he was a UN-registered philanthropist and would not dare smuggle drugs because it would jeopardise his reputation.
He arrived at Dubai International Airport on September 16 last year and a customs inspector thought something was not right with his bag.
"His bag looked much thicker than usual so I searched it and found the drugs hidden in the bottom of his bag," said the 37-year-old inspector, who referred the man to police.
The defendant’s lawyer said that her client’s drug tests came back negative.
She asked that the court find him not guilty.
He will be deported after serving his jail term, although he can appeal against the sentence within 15 days.

Source: The National