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Dubai: Woman gets 10-year jail term for trafficking narcotic plant in banana box

Visitor concealed the banned substance inside a box with other foodstuffs

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An African woman was found with 6 kilograms of khat leaves in her possession at Dubai International Airport.

The visitor concealed the narcotic plant inside a box of bananas and foodstuffs.

Customs officers noticed her and became suspicious of a heavy box brought by the convict.

The Dubai Criminal Court found her guilty, sentenced her to 10 years in prison, and fined her Dh50,000. The court also ordered the authorities to deport her after completion of her prison term.

The police record show that the incident took place in April, when a customs inspector at Dubai Airport suspected the African lady.

According to the inspector’s statement, the box she was carrying seemed abnormally heavy when the luggage went through the x-ray machine.

The inspector stopped the woman after she collected the luggage and searched the belongings. He found bananas and various foodstuffs along with khat leaves weighing 6 kilograms.

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Khat contains an alkaloid, cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant believed to cause excitement, loss of appetite, and euphoria. Khat is therefore classified by the World Health Organization as a possible drug of abuse but with less addictive potential than alcohol or tobacco.

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• Dubai