A TEENAGER has been acquitted of drug smuggling after his solicitor completed a 10,000-mile quest for justice.

Aftab Ali Younis was arrested as he arrived at Manchester Airport on flight PK 701 from Islamabad on April 20 last year.

Customs officials discovered high grade heroin concealed in the heels of shoes in his luggage as he made his way home to Blackburn after visiting his sick father in Kashmir.

And despite his pleas of innocence he was charged with importation - which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

But the charges against the 19-year-old were dropped at Manchester Crown Court after his legal team produced evidence that he had been set up by a cousin in Pakistan who had used him as an unwitting drugs "mule".

Basharat Ditta, of Forbes Solicitors, Blackburn, travelled to Pakistan to collect evidence vital to his client's case. He said: "We knew our client had been used by people in Pakistan who were involved in the heroin trade in a big way. He was a young man with no previous convictions who was looking at a prison sentence of 15 years.

"It became clear that the only way we could prove his innocence in a court in this country would be to go to Pakistan and collect evidence ourselves. Within seven days of the idea being discussed I was on a plane.

"People were suspicious of providing information because they feared repercussions. Even taking photographs had to be done surreptitiously."

He said corruption was rife and bribery was the norm.

Armed with details of a cousin of his client called Javed Iqbal, who had been arrested for drug offences, Mr Ditta spoke to police officers before appearing before a judge to request trial papers.

He then made a perilous eight hour trip to the village of Doadyaal in the Kashmir mountains to take statements from his client's father and two other witnesses.

"They confirmed my client's account of events but we had to travel high into the mountains to collect them," said Mr Ditta.

"We had been warned about bandits and on the way back down the mountain our vehicle got stuck. I remember thinking 'What am I doing here? I should be at home in Blackburn with my wife and kids'."

The statements confirmed that after Mr Younis had packed his luggage it had been taken by Javed Iqbal, who met him at the airport later.

Iqbal had been arrested on his way to Islamabad airport with another UK citizen who was also found to have heroin concealed in items given to him to take home. Iqbal was convicted of drug trafficking offences and jailed.

That part of the quest took Mr Ditta to the notorious Adayaal Prison in Rawalpindi.

"When we were eventually allowed to speak to him, Iqbal confirmed that he would co-operate as much as possible to clear our client," said Mr Ditta.