ABU DHABI // A student who was arrested at the airport carrying a chunk of hashish claimed he forgot to swallow it before boarding a plane.
M H, 19, an Egyptian, said he made the mistake after getting confused about the time of his flight from Cairo to Abu Dhabi.
“I thought [the flight] was at 9pm, but it turned out to be at 9am,” he told Abu Dhabi Criminal Court on Monday.
“I had the piece of hashish with me and I was planning to consume it before boarding the plane at 9pm.
“However, when my flight turned out to be earlier I forgot the piece in my pocket.”
After his arrest, he tested positive for drugs use.
He said he only took drugs in Egypt, so a UAE court did not have the authority to deal with his case.
“How long have you been consuming hashish?” asked Chief Justice Idris Bin Mansour.
“Only this summer,” said M H. “I am an engineering student at Al Hosn University and I don’t do these things.
“I promise it was a mistake and it will never happen again,” he said. “I plead for mercy from Allah and the court.”
A verdict will be announced on October 28.
hdajani@thenational.ae
