Smuggler 'feared death' after swallowing 1.7 kilos of crystal meth

DUBAI // A man has been charged with possessing and smuggling drugs after telling police he had swallowed a large number of capsules.

The accused, described by Dubai Police as an African, told officers he feared he might die and said he did not know what type of drug he had taken. He was transferred from Dubai airport's Terminal 3 to Rashid Hospital, where medical staff recovered 92 capsules of crystal meth weighing 1,771 grams.

In a second case, another African was seen behaving suspiciously in the transit hall of Terminal 3 after arriving from Sao Paulo, Brazil, en route to Accra, Ghana. Officers took the passenger, who was in a confused and fearful state, to an inspection room.

He was arrested after a search revealed that he was carrying two quantities of cocaine weighing a total of 438g.

Police did not reveal the dates of the alleged crimes.

csimpson@thenational.ae