Heroin smuggler sentenced to death

A man who swallowed 103 capsules of heroin so he could smuggle the drug into the UAE faces execution.

Abu Dhabi Criminal Court sentenced the Pakistani visitor to death on Monday.

Prosecutors said the defendant was arrested at Abu Dhabi Airport after security officers were suspicious of him as he looked exhausted.

The officers discovered the capsules in his stomach. The man was taken to hospital to have the drugs removed.

During the court hearing the defendant admitted attempting to smuggle the capsules but said he was not aware that they were drugs.

He told the court that he was paid 120 Pakistani Rupees, approximately Dhs10,000, to carry the drugs to the UAE and hand them over to someone at Abu Dhabi Airport.