Dubai Customs foils a bid to smuggle 125 heroin capsules through Dubai International Airport

Dubai Customs, as part of its effort to combat smuggling of drugs, could successfully foil a bid to smuggle more than 2 Kg of heroin stuffed in 125 capsules hidden by an African passenger in his guts while arriving in Dubai from the Brazilian Airport of Sao Paolo, Brazil. 

Ali Al Maqhawi, Director of Airport Operations at Dubai Customs uncovered the details of the seizure when he said that customs officers at Terminal (3) of Dubai international airport suspected , by virtue of their experience in body language, a passenger when observing signs of confusion and discomfort on his behaviour. 

Customs control was then focused on the suspected passenger until reached the inspection point, but nothing prohibited was found inside his bags when passed  through the scanning device or during manual inspection. 

The increasing signs of unrest on the passenger`s face, however, called for exposing him to hi-tech body scan machines, which detected some murky items in his guts suspected to be narcotic substances. When asked about the nature of such substances, he admitted being capsules containing heroin that found to be 125 capsules in which 2177 gram of heroin was stuffed. 

The passenger stated that he was instructed to deliver these drugs to another person against a sum of money. 

“As part of the joint coordination and cooperation with Dubai Police Headquarters, the passenger together with the seizure report and the information obtained during customs investigations were delivered to the Anti-Drug General Administration for necessary and further actions,” said Al Maqhawi. 

“ The  higher efficiency enjoyed by Dubai Customs Inspectors and their experience in body language as well as knowledge of potential methods of smuggling contributed to detecting these drugs carried by the passenger inside his guts and saving youths from using them,” he added. 

Al Maqhawi underlined that Dubai Customs will continue encountering such unlawful operations subject to its responsibility as  the society`s first defence line and by relying upon a national cadre of qualified inspectors who attended specialized training on all areas and equipped with modern bags and body scan machines.