Pinoy in UAE pleads guilty to cocaine smuggle try, seeks clemency

A Filipino last Thursday pleaded guilty before a United Arab Emirates court for trying to smuggle 6.4 kilos of cocaine into the country,  and asked the court for clemency.

The Filipino, 38, was arrested in October after airport officials found seven pouches of cocaine in his baggage, Gulf News reported late Saturday.

"Yes, I smuggled the drugs. I was heading to Vietnam," the Filipino said as he entered a guilty plea before Dubai Court of First Instance presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat.

He sought leniency and a swift judgment, even as prosecutors sought a prison term of 15 years for him.

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum punishment including 15 years' jail and a Dh200,000 (roughly P2.4 million) fine. The report said a ruling is expected in the case on March 30.

Earlier, a police corporal testified he became suspicious about the Filipino when he saw him at the transit terminal at the Dubai International Airport from Brazil.

He said he accompanied the Filipino to the search room and I did not find any drugs in his possession upon searching him in person.

But when he checked his bag, "it seemed strangely bloated from one side."

"I made a hole in one of the sides to check what was hidden inside. I found cocaine pouches hidden inside. When I confronted him with the findings, (the Filipino) immediately claimed that someone handed him the drugs in Brazil and asked him to smuggle them to Vietnam for around Dh11,000," the policeman said.

The Filipino was taken into custody and referred to Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics department. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News

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