Ben Yussef Isaac, a tennis trainer was convicted by an Egyptian court for five years and a fine of 10,000 pounds ($2000) after he was arrested

Ben Yussef Isaac, a tennis trainer was convicted by an Egyptian court for five years and a fine of 10,000 pounds ($2000) after he was arrested at the Movenpick Resort Taba Hotel by hotel security personnel who discovered 500 grams of hashish in his bag."We routinely check foreign visitors and nationals who come here because incidents of smuggling are numerous," a security official, who did not disclose his name told AlArabiya.net.Taba, Egypt's busiest border crossing with Israel, is a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers. The conviction is the latest in drug smuggling trend that plagues Egyptian/Israeli border crossings. "He told authorities the drug was for personal use, but the amount is too huge for personal use." Mukhtar Madi from the prosecutions department in Taba told AlArabiya.net. "It is definitely a case of drug trade." he added.Penalties for possession, trafficking or use of illegal drugs in Egypt are severe, and convicted offenders get long jail sentences and heavy fines while those in the drug industry could end up with capital punishment.

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