Most expensive drug smuggling attempt thwarted at Dubai Airport by Dubai Customs inspectors

Dubai Customs inspectors at Dubai International Airport thwarted an attempt of smuggling 3kg of narcotic cocaine cleverly hidden into a bag that belongs to a passenger from African nationality arriving from Addis Ababa. 

Mr. Ali Almaghawi – Sr. Manager of Airport Operations Dept at Dubai Customs said the type of the cocaine valued at AED 6 million which was found hidden cleverly in the African passenger’s bag is the most expensive of all the narcotic seizures caught this year in Dubai International Airport.

Almaghawi explained that the inspection team from Dubai Customs at airport (T1) with their infallible sense and experience of understanding of body language suspected the perturbed passenger and noticed his abnormal behavior. The team put the suspect under customs screening and followed him till he arrived at the inspection area. There he claimed that his bag contained nothing other than personal clothes, but An x-ray imaging system showed anomalies in the bottom area. Officers manually searched the bag and found 3kg of a white color substance wrapped with dark blue plastic tape and carefully hidden inside a pocket at the bottom of the bag, which was identified later as narcotic cocaine. In the investigation, the involved man confessed that the substance is pure cocaine and he was about to transport it via Dubai and deliver it to a man living in an Asian country for USD 3000. He said that his journey started from Accra in Ghana via Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Dubai and was scheduled to end in an Asian country. 

Mr. Ali Almaghawi added the involved man along with the seizure report and the confiscated narcotics were referred to the Dept of Drug Control Office at Dubai International Airport for legal procedure. He highlighted that Dubai Customs always keeps vigilant eye and will successfully thwart any attempts of smuggling drugs, prohibited and restricted goods by depending on its national qualified inspectors who continuously have training programs in the field of body language and learn how to identify drugs, ways used by smugglers, how to deal with the confiscated goods and investigate with the suspects by using the most advanced inspection tools which include luggage, body and guts inspection machines that have effectively advanced the customs to successfully achieve its strategic vision and corporate value as a frontline defender which does it best to protect society.   

The total number of seizures carried out by the Department of Airport Operations at Dubai Customs in 2010 was 272 seizures, he explained. The seizures included different types of narcotics like cocaine, heroin, opium, marijuana and crystal attempted to smuggle by passengers from Asian, African, European and Australian nationalities.