The incident happened in Dubai on Nov.4, 2018.

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

DUBAI: A drug mule who experienced excruciating stomach pain, jumped into the sea and swam relentlessly to find some relief was on Thursday jailed for seven years and fined Dhs50,000 to be followed by deportation.

The African defendant – a visitor, 29 – arrived in the UAE with 28 capsules stuffed with 468.35 grammes of methamphetamine in his stomach. The scheme went bizarre. He dipped himself in the waters to alleviate the pain.

The incident happened in waters at Dubai Creek near Festival marina at around 1.30pm on Nov.4, 2018. Prosecutors charged him with possessing with the intention of peddling meth. He denied. Hearing continues on Feb.18.

On the record, the Dubai Police’s operations room received an alert that a man showed up abnormal and jumped into the waters. He continued swimming and all attempts to get him out fell flat. He was languishing.

An Emirati sergeant testified that police dispatched a rescue team. Maritime cops got him out but suspected his condition. They took him to the Ports Police Station as he continued behaving in an abnormal manner.

“On asking him his name, he complained of severe abdominal pain,” explained the sergeant, adding that he and a corporal walked the defendant to a washroom where he dropped eleven capsules and revealed they contained narcotics.

He explained he was on his way to the UAE when he met a man in Nigeria who tasked him with delivering them.

He swallowed them, entered the country through a Dubai airport. He was supposed to hand them to several recipients in the UAE but fell sick before meeting them.

In another recent case, a visitor and her sister were cleared in a marijuana case that saw their countrywoman jailed for to ten years and slapped with a Dhs100,000 fine.

The Cameroonian visitor, 52, and sister –a driver, 30- first appeared at the Dubai Criminal Court on Oct.21.2018 on suspicion they were implicated in smuggling four plastic rolls containing 816.44 grammes of marijuana.