Dubai: Dubai Customs, with their advanced inspection division and highly skilled inspection officers, managed to thwart 16 body packing smuggling attempts at Dubai Airports in the first nine months of 2020.
This type of smuggling requires vigilance and advanced experience from the inspector’s side to detect. More than 1,450 capsules of narcotics that weighed 12,286 grams were uncovered in the operations.
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Dubai is becoming an example to follow in combating drug trafficking worldwide, and, to maintain this, the emirate invests heavily in developing its inspection division to protect the society from the perils and hazards of this illegitimate trade. “Dubai Customs stands behind the success of the Dubai International Airport worldwide as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers,” said Ibrahim Al Kamali, Director of Passenger Operations Department. “The highly advanced inspection systems and equipment at the airport help efficiently detect any illegal smuggling acts and at the same time make the passengers’ experience at the airport a pleasant one. Smugglers try different methods to get away with the drugs including swallowing them. We have the experience and the technologies to detect and thwart such acts.”
Falah Khalil Al Sammak, Senior Manager of DXB Terminal 2, pointed out 11 body-packing attempts, which involved swallowing 1,051 capsules that weighed 7,561 grams of narcotics, were thwarted in Terminal 2 during the first 9 months of 2020. He said all inspection units work together as one team aided by highly advanced technologies and systems in thwarting these smuggling attempts and protecting the society from their hazards.
Khalifa bin Shahin, Acting Manager of Terminal 3, said they regularly send their inspection officers for workshops to gain more knowledge, experience and reading body language skills in detecting any types of drugs and smuggling methods. This has resulted in thwarting 5 body packing attempts at Terminal 3 during the first 9 months in 2020, with 406 capsules, that weighed 4725 grams, uncovered.