Asian traveller jailed for 15 years for smuggling hashish

A Doha Criminal Court sentenced an Asian traveller to 15 years in jail and fined him QR500,000 and subsequent deportation for an attempt to smuggle illicit drugs into Qatar, reported Gulf Times.

According to reports, he was coming to Doha from his home country, on a work visa, when he was arrested at the Hamad International Airport (HIA).

At the time of arrest, he was carrying a carton with foodstuff and around 6kg of hashish, according to a report in Al Rayah Newspaper (Arabic link).

The customs officer who scanned the package became suspicious about its content and decided to subject it to a more detailed search. He found the illicit drug being hidden inside three bags, among the foodstuff.

The defendant denied any knowledge about the drugs. He claimed one of his compatriots, who helped him obtain the visa and promised him to find a job, gave it to him at the airport and asked him to deliver it to somebody who would meet him at HIA.

However, the court also convicted him of illicit drugs consumption, based on a lab test of a sample of his blood.