The luggage that contained the duplicated banknotes
Dubai Customs inspectors at Dubai International Airport managed to foil a bid to smuggle fake banknotes of US dollars with a total value of $ 56.5 thousand (AED 206 thousand). The currencies were possessed by a female passenger coming from an Asian country who was trying to smuggle them into the UAE.
Mr. Ali Al Mugahwi, Director of Airport Operations at Dubai Customs said that a customs inspector working at Dubai Int’l Airport Terminal 1 suspected a female passenger while she was on her way to the customs inspection area as she looked shaken and reluctant and behaved strangely.
He added:" At first, when her luggage was examined through the electronic checkup machine, nothing suspicious was detected. However, when a female Dubai Customs inspector manually and meticulously searched the luggage, she found black carbon papers bearing the picture of 100 banknote American dollars in an almost invisible way. The papers which were wrapped and spread in different parts of the luggage and in between the suspect’s clothes were a total of 565 papers. These papers are believed to be used in witchcraft and money multiplication crimes”.
During interrogation, she said she was going to buy a chemical substance used forging money and apply them to these papers to make them look as if they were original. Undoubtedly, her attempt failed after being caught by Customs staff. The passenger along with the seized items were transferred to Airport Security at Terminal 1 to take the necessary legal actions against her.
Mr. Al Mugahwi stressed that smuggling duplicated currencies threaten the national and international economies since fake money has absolutely no real value and therefore considered a massive loss for individuals and parties who unknowingly take or receive them as these cunningly faked currencies might be exchanged in the country’s local markets.
Mr. al Mugahwi expressed his gratitude towards female and male inspectors at Dubai Customs who are the source of pride due to the efforts they exert in performing their duties in addition to the high sense of customs alertness developed day by day through their work.
Furthermore, the great support they receive from Dubai Customs whether through providing them with a healthy work environment which pushes them forward towards devotion to their jobs or through the training courses and workshops they constantly receive to improve their customs skills and act as an undefeatable fort against the different smuggling techniques and attempts taken by smugglers of the different types of contrabands and counterfeited items.