Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Criminal Court sentenced an African woman to 10 years in jail to be followed by deportation and fined her Dhs50,000 after being convicted of possessing 1.18 kg of cocaine found in her suitcase.

The case dates back to last January when the suitcase of the visitor, 45, aroused the suspicion of a customs inspector at Dubai Airport after passing through the baggage scanner.

The inspector stated in the case papers that he had asked the woman if she had any prohibited items or materials that she wanted to declare, but she replied in the negative.

Upon opening the suitcase, three rolls were found at the bottom, he added.

The visitor denied that she knew nothing about the items seized in her suitcase, noting that the visitor told him that she came to the UAE to work in garment trading company and that she had bought this suitcase, one day before she left her homeland.

Separately, the Dubai Criminal Court sentenced an Asian salesman to two years in jail to be followed by deportation and fined him Dhs980,000 after being convicted of deliberately setting fire to a store as a result of which goods worth Dhs980,000 were gutted.

The case dates back to last December when the storeowner filed a complaint that a fire broke out in his store after being threatened by a former employee. According to his testimony in the investigations, the storeowner said he received a call from a fellow person inquiring about his connection to the perpetrator, what the latter had to do with his store and if the perpetrator’s passport was kept by the storeowner because he wanted to employ him.

The storeowner told him that the perpetrator quit his job, absconded and that his residency was cancelled and a report was filed with the concerned authorities.

The victim stated that he went to the store after receiving a call from a person telling him that a fire erupted in his store.

After checking the surveillance cameras in a neighbouring store, it became clear to the victim that it was the perpetrator who broke into the store and set it on fire.