Certain Spice You Carry Can Land You Behind Bars

 Khas Khas is sometimes added to food when they are cooked. It can be addictive and there are words of mouth going around as to why people always return to a certain mamak shops to for their plate of rice. Some people also nicknamed certain restaurant that has common returning diners as Kedai Nasi Ganja. Ganja is marijuana and is quite popular among social drug addicts. Even our national Sepak Takraw players was once connected to taking them before training.

In our country possessing, selling and smoking ganja is illegal and is so with some other countries in the world. A quick check on Wilkipedia confirms the strict law with regard to carrying of drug in some middle east countries. While poppy seeds is commonly used as a spice in eastern cooking, it is also quite commonly used in western cooking, in pastries, cakes, breads, buns and so on. 

You could be eating a piece of pastry covered with poppy seeds somewhere else, your shirt or trousers could still carry some of these seeds . When  you land in Dubai, that doesn't matter, if they're detected, you're gone! It's scary. 

Recently there is an email circulating the web warning of travellers who carry Khas Khas, which is the seed of poppy plant. Read the email below:

Carrying Of Certain Spices  : - Note from a Friend :-

Yesterday only I  came to know of a case from a friend of mine which is very scary. One of his friends was traveling to UK via Dubai .

Unfortunately he was carrying a packet of Khas Khas which is a commonly used spice in some Indian curries and sweets. Khas Khas is also known as poppy seed which can be sprouted to grow narcotics (afeem etc.).

This innocent person did not know that recently the laws in UAE and other Gulf countries have been revised and carrying Khas Khas is punishable with minimum 20 years of imprisonment or even worse with death penalty . Currently, the person is in a jail in Dubai for the last two weeks. His friends are frantically trying hard for his release but are finding that this has become a very very serious case.

Lawyers are asking huge fees amounting to AED 100,000 even to appear in the court to plead for his innocence.

Please forward this email to all you know specially in India . They should know the seriousness of this matter and should never ever carry even minutest quantities of the following items when traveling to Gulf countries:

1. Khas Khas whether raw, roasted or cooked.

2. Paan

3. Beetle nut (supari and its products, e.g. Paan Parag etc.)

The penalties are very severe and it could destroy the life of an innocent person.

I appeal you to create the awareness by forwarding this email to all you know.