Dubai Customs officers seize 12.5kg of marijuana hidden in air passenger's baggage

Dubai Customs on Thursday said it foiled an attempt to smuggle 12.5 kilograms of marijuana through Dubai airport.

Inspectors became suspicious of bags that belonged to a passenger travelling from an African country.

They questioned the man, who said he had nothing to declare, and then searched the baggage.

But the officers detected an “abnormal density” in two bags during an X-ray search and after a physical search found the drugs “hidden skilfully” in the inner lining of the bags.

Two plastic bags containing 2.9kg and 2.7kg of marijuana were hidden in one bag, while the second had two bags containing 3.4kg and 3.5kg of marijuana.

Further details about the passenger or case were not revealed.

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Ibrahim Kamali, director of the airport's passenger operations department, thanked the inspectors for their efforts and said they would spare no effort to tackle illegal activities at the airport.

Dubai Customs also assists with worldwide efforts to crack down on the illegal drug trade.

It was revealed in September that a joint operation between it and officials in Australia led to the seizure of two tonnes of methamphetamines worth Dh4.04 billion ($1.1bn).

The drugs were found inside marble slabs shipped from a neighbouring country in a Sydney port. It was Australia's largest drugs seizure since 2019.

Dubai Customs officers foil nearly 1,000 drug smuggling attempts in four months - in pictures

Dubai Customs made 936 seizures in the first four months of 2022. All photos: Dubai Customs

Large amounts of Captagon, crystal meth, heroin, marijuana and opium were seized by Dubai Customs between January and April this year.

Of the 936 foiled attempts to smuggle drugs into the emirate, 222 took place at Dubai airports.

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