Men on trial for smuggling drugs through Jebel Ali Port

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Men on trial for smuggling drugs through Jebel Ali Port Three businessmen have gone on trial accused of smuggling 35 million opiate pills and more than 2.5 kilogrammes of tramadol through Jebel Ali port. Dubai Court of First Instance was told on Wednesday that the drugs were found hidden inside plastic bottles in a shipping container at Jebel Ali Port on January 13, 2015 during a routine inspection. “I was doing a routine checking on a container that arrived to Jebel Ali port when I found the pills. They were hidden in plastic bottles inside boxes, which were in turn put inside large barrels,” an Emirati customs inspector said in official records. Prosecutors said the inspector contacted the manager of the company that had imported the pills, but the Bangladeshi businessman claimed he had given his company’s importing code and documents to a man to use for importing legal goods in return for Dhs1,000. Dubai Police then arrested the two Iranian businessmen who ordered the container, and finalized its shipping and customs clearance procedures. The Bangladeshi businessman was also arrested in connection with the case. The trio were charged with importing the drugs with the intention of selling them in the UAE. The Bangladeshi man, who denied the charges in court, said he had no idea that the Iranian men wanted to import banned substances. “I only allowed them to use my company’s name and licence. I didn’t know it contained drugs,” the defendant told the judge. The two Iranian defendants did not appear in court on Wednesday and the case has been adjourned until later this month so the pair can enter a plea. Ali.shouk@7days.ae Read the original story at: Men on trial for smuggling drugs through Jebel Ali Port