Dubai Customs foils bid to smuggle narcotics into UAE through Dubai Int'l Airport

Inline with its efforts of protecting the local community from prohibited materials, Passengers Operations Department at Dubai Customs managed to foil a bid to smuggle an amount of narcotics into the UAE through Dubai International Airport.

A Customs inspector in Airport Terminal 2 started to suspect an Asian passenger heading from an Asian country when he looked confused and frisky near the inspection area at the Airport. Therefore, he was meticulously observed by the rangers' inspectors.

When the passenger arrived at the inspection point, his luggage was searched manually. The Customs inspector's doubts increased when they noticed a piece of fabric on the sides of the baggage which had an opium-like smell when it was lifted. This incident has revealed that the man is very likely to have hidden opium inside the luggage; which in fact was the case. And yet another very conniving smuggling attempt is rendered a fiasco due to Dubai Customs inspectors' remarkable skill and expertise in this domain. Hence, the on-duty official was called for this matter where items of the baggage were examined.

As the inspection operation was carried on, it turned out that there were other cloth pieces that had the same smell. 88 fabric pieces were found with 1226.4 grams of opium. Thus, the passenger was interrogated by the customs investigators and he confessed possession of the narcotics and claimed that he brought it for personal use.

Mr. Ali Al Mugahwi, Director of Passengers Operation Department in Dubai Customs commended inspectors' efforts at the department for their vigilance and abilities to expose all smuggling techniques which smugglers come up with due to the ongoing training courses they go through on the art of suspicion, inspection and body language that are offered by Dubai Customs.

In alignment with the mutual coordination and cooperation between Dubai Customs and the Anti-Narcotics Department at the General Department in Dubai Police, the suspect and the seizure were transferred to the Anti-Narcotics Department in order to take necessary legal procedures.