Dubai: Dubai Customs inspectors thwarted 1,628 smuggling attempts in 2017 compared to 1,347 in the year before, said Dubai Customs officials on Tuesday.
According to latest figures, the busts represent a 21 per cent increase in smuggling seizures from 2016. In a statement, officials said seizures amounted a large amount of illicit drugs.
The “White Salt” seizure was among the major seizure made by inspectors, where more than a tonne of captagon pills was discovered inside animal guts. A smuggler had concealed huge amounts of captagon pills in animal guts and wrapped them in salt. Screening detected different density in the barrels that carried the stuff.
Dubai Customs said this seizure in particular showed the alertness of its officers and reflected the importance of cooperation and coordination between the Department and the Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police.
Another contraband saw officers of Jebel Ali Customs Centre seize 12 kg of opium. These were skilfully concealed in furniture pieces.
The Department of Passenger Operations at the airport had the lion’s share with 859 seizures, followed by Land Customs Centres Management with 699 seizures, Air Customs Centres Management with 58 seizures, Jebel Ali Customs Centres with 9 seizures, and Coastal Customs Centre Management with 3 seizures.
Intensive training to Dubai Customs officers and equipping the centres with the latest inspection equipment were among the reasons behind this achievement, Dubai Customs said.
“Dubai is leading the way internationally in combating any attempts of smuggling to protect society from the hazards of drugs. Dubai Customs plays an essential role in this by continually developing its human capital according to the highest inspection standards, “said Sultan Bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman & CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation.
Bin Sulayem said that being the first line of protection, Dubai Customs works hard to maintain security whilst supporting national economy towards a full realisation of the objectives of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071 following the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
He added that Dubai Customs regularly updates its systems and inspection devices which helps Dubai International Airport top the world airports for four years in a row in terms of the number of international passengers (88.2 million in 2017).
Ahmad Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs said that the seizures are a part of the efforts exerted by Dubai Customs to protect the society, economy and security of Dubai in particular and the UAE in general.
He pointed out that Dubai Customs works on achieving its strategic objectives by relying on qualified cadres, who are enrolled in training courses to enhance their capabilities.
In 2007 Dubai Customs inaugurated the customs K-9 Dog unit to support in drug detection efforts. The unit has 24 dogs trained on detecting different types of drugs. In 2017 alone, this unit managed to foil 14 drug smuggling attempts.
Also the Risk Engine, which was developed by Dubai Customs, has made major contributions. The system is responsible for profiling and analysing data in order to identify risks and intercept suspected consignments.
Other systems include the Kashif Inspection Smart Vehicle, the first of its kind in the world.
