Man jailed for 10 years for trying to smuggle drugs in detergent

A drug smuggler was jailed for 10 years after coming clean about his plan to ship heroin out of the UAE by mixing it with washing powder.

The 39-year-old, from the Seychelles, was arrested at his hotel room in Al Rafaa on April 23 after Dubai Police received a tip-off that he was in possession of drugs.

When questioned by officers, he admitted he had mixed up to a kilogram of heroin with Ariel detergent before sending it to a courier company to be shipped to his home country, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

An Emirati policeman said: “We first investigated the information we received about him for possessing heroin and then obtained a warrant and raided his room.”

While no drugs were found in the room, the man admitted receiving the heroin and then arranging for it to be shipped out of the country.

“He said that he was paid to come to Dubai by a man in his country who also paid for the defendant’s hotel and airline ticket, in order to pick up the drugs then ship them,” the policeman said.

The drugs, which were still at a courier company’s office waiting to be shipped out, were seized and sent to a criminal laboratory for testing.

Heroin weighing 989.8 grams was found mixed with 3.4 grams of Ariel laundry detergent.

The man admitted to drug smuggling.

He will be deported once he has completed his prison sentence.