A court in Dubai has sentenced a woman from Central Asia to three months in prison, followed by deportation, for using her friend’s passport copy to collect a parcel containing documents laced with narcotics. The Dubai Criminal Court acquitted her friend, determining she was uninvolved in the crime.
The incident started in April when a customs inspector became suspicious of a package arriving from Europe. A thorough manual inspection revealed sheets soaked with drugs. Authorities quickly initiated a controlled operation to track down the intended recipient.
According to investigation reports, the accused went to the shipping company’s office after being notified to collect the parcel. She presented a passport copy, claiming it as her own ID. Customs officials and police arrested her immediately.
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A police officer stated that the woman insisted her name matched the passport details. However, a data check showed she was using another woman’s passport copy, who was then called in for questioning. The passport owner denied any involvement with the shipment or the incident.
Investigators discovered that the two women had met months earlier when her friend was living in Dubai. She told prosecutors she had provided her passport copy to the accused to assist in applying for a new visit visa to re-enter the UAE. The accused retained the copy and used it to attempt collecting the illegal shipment.
The defendant denied importing drugs, claiming the package wasn’t hers. She alleged that a Gulf national she met in Dubai’s Jumeirah area asked her to pick up a “book” sent from Europe because he couldn’t speak English. She claimed ignorance of the parcel’s drug-soaked contents.
The court rejected her defense, ruling that her intentional use of another’s passport copy indicated a clear intent to hide her identity while retrieving the illegal package. Her friend was cleared of all charges, with the court confirming she was not aware of or involved in the crime.
The woman will be deported after serving her three-month sentence.
