DOHA: A higher criminal court has upheld the ruling of a lower court that sent an Asian to jail for three years and fined him QR100,000 accusing him of carrying opium.
The man was caught red-handed at the arrivals lounge of the Doha International Airport after customs officials suspected him and used a sniffer dog to detect the narcotics in his possession.
The court has ordered that the convict be deported after serving the sentence.
The man was sentenced by a lower criminal court for the crime but he challenged the verdict in the Court of Appeals which upheld the earlier verdict.
A sniffer dog pointed to two bags that contained liquid molasses in jars, sweets and dry fruits.
“The jars were heavy so I put my hand in and found some hard materials,” said the customs official who was present in the court as a witness.
“We opened all the four jars and were shocked to see that opium was hidden inside.”
The Peninsula
