Shoe-swap with poor man out of kindness led to drug arrest, Dubai court hears

Man found with hashish in his shoes claims he swapped footwear with a poor man in Afghanistan to stop him catching a chill.

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DUBAI // A traveller arrested with hashish in his shoes claims he swapped footwear with a poor man in Afghanistan to prevent him catching a chill.

“Our country is very cold and his shoes were not warm, so I gave him mine and took his knowing that I was headed for a warm country,” S?K, 48, from Afghanistan, told the Criminal Court yesterday.

“And you were sure his shoes would fit you just perfectly?” asked the judge, Maher Salameh.

The man, who described himself as an investor, was stopped at Dubai International Airport on November 6 last year by a customs inspector who became suspicious over the thickness of his shoes. The bottoms were hollow and had 132 pieces of hashish weighing more than 200 grams.

The man denied a charge of smuggling hashish.

A verdict is expected on April 7.

salamir@thenational.ae