Dubai Customs foiled a bid to smuggle a haul of narcotics containing around 1.5 kg of heroine narcotics brought by an African passenger who arrived in Dubai from an African capital city.
Mr. Ali Al Mugahwi, Director of Airport Operations at Dubai Customs talked about the seizure, which coincides with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, saying that a Dubai Customs inspector suspected a passenger at Terminal 3 who came from an African country at dawn. He appeared to be confused and kept constantly looking around which increased the inspector’s suspicions. Upon arrival at the customs inspection gate, the passenger was stopped for luggage inspection. At first, nothing illegal was found there; however, his continuous reluctant behaviors forced the inspector to put him through the body scan which detected murky bodies inside his guts. When asked about it, the passenger confessed that he swallowed 15 tablets inside his body but has no idea what type they were. He admitted as well that he came to Dubai to deliver the tablets to an accomplice.
Inline with the mutual cooperation and coordination between Dubai Customs and the General Department of Dubai Police, the passenger was transferred to the Anti-Narcotics Department office at the Airport Terminal 3 as per the adopted procedures in this respect. After being admitted to the hospital, it appeared that the suspect was hiding 95 tablets inside his guts and not 15 as he claimed. The contraband weighs 1.5 kg of heroine narcotics which is an illegal substance that causes addiction due to continuous intake in addition to endangering individuals’ lives.
Mr. Al Mugahwi stressed that Dubai Customs inspectors receive specialized training as part of intensified workshops in the field of treating passengers, studying personalities and means of uncovering contrabands by utilizing the most hi-tech equipment and machines provided to the inspectors at the different entries in Dubai which help them foil smuggling attempts of illegal goods into the UAE.
Furthermore, Dubai Customs is keen on enhancing customs inspectors’ skills at all the customs centers and equip them with the most advanced inspection tools and machines to ensure protecting the society from the entry of the different types of narcotics and foster the internationally well-reputed status the Department enjoys in the field of customs inspection.
He pointed as well that customs inspection helps achieve social security and safeguard the society from narcotics and contrabands and this comes in line with Dubai Customs’ strategic objectives and vision. “ It is mandatory to improve and upgrade inspection taking into account the millions of passengers dealt with and the huge amounts of cargos tackled through Dubai’s air, sea and land entries everyday” he said.
The capsules that contained the narcotics