UAE: Passenger smuggling cocaine in intestines caught at Zayed International Airport
A passenger's intestines were found to have 89 capsules of cocaine weighing around 1,198 grams and roughly worth Dh5 million, which were seized at Abu Dhabi airport on a Friday.
The Ports General Directorate under the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Custom and Port Security (ICAPC) foiled the attempt at Zayed International Airport.
The customs inspection team suspected a passenger arriving from a South American nation and subsequently used advanced scanning procedures on the passenger, which indicated the presence of foreign objects within the individual. The passenger was sent to the relevant authorities where he had 89 capsules extracted from his intestines.
Authorities commended their inspectors for executing an efficient routine while noting the continuous commitment to improving the enforcement system. Upon further inspection, the authority noted the need to fortify society against the severe risks of illegal drugs and those who endanger state security as part of comprehensive national efforts to strengthen the country's security and public safety.
Marijuana abuse is increasingly becoming a common problem and in one such case, an attempt to smuggle 5kgs of weed in Zayed International Airport was noticed by authorities last week. The Customs Inspectors, noticing suspicious traveler’s baggage, decided to carry out an inspection. It became evident that some abnormal materials elated within the luggage contraptions which merited a thorough search.
The control authorities of the state have access to modern innovations which aid smugglers in moving around sophisticated drugs. This surveillance is a result of ongoing observation of useoforks of smuggling along with domestic and foreign information cooperation with other responsible agencies.
Moreover, customs inspection teams have put in place modern machines and technologies such as radiological devices which have the capability of locating drugs within the human body.
The authority stressed its commitment to the umbrella policy of carrying out its annual training exercises aimed at its customs inspection teams – steering them toward ensuring complete mastery of skills that would make it possible to thwart any smuggling attempt – moving the undermined principle of customs deterrent measures aimed at errant societal risks and danger consequences of such actions.
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