A 45-year-old Asian man has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined Dh100,000 by the Dubai Criminal Court after being caught with hundreds of capsules of restricted medication in his luggage.

The passenger was intercepted at Dubai International Airport when customs officers found 480 capsules during a baggage inspection.

Lab analysis confirmed the pills contained a controlled substance that cannot be brought into the country without a valid prescription.

Investigations revealed the man did not have any medical documents to justify possession. The man told authorities that he had transported the medication from his home country to deliver it to someone in the UAE.

In addition to jail time and a fine, the court ordered the man’s deportation after serving his sentence. He is also banned from transferring or depositing money to others, directly or indirectly, without approval from the UAE Central Bank and the Ministry of Interior for a period of two years after release.