Cocaine smuggling attempts foiled at Abu Dhabi airport

Abu Dhabi: Five drug mules were caught over a 12-day period at Abu Dhabi airport attempting to smuggle a total of 441 capsules of cocaine, police said on Sunday.

The suspects were all Nigerian and attracted suspicion as they all appeared to be suffering from severe stomach pain.

Weighing 9.3kg in total, the pills were confiscated at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The suspects have been referred to the Public Prosecution.

A.T., 39, was caught after vomiting at the airport, he confessed to carrying 84 capsules weighing 1.4kg. In the second case, two suspects, A.A., 39, and A.D., 36, were arrested while displaying symptoms of severe nausea. Airport scanners found that they were reportedly transporting a total of 120 pills, weighing almost 3kg.

In two other cases, F.A. 44, and S.A., 38, were arrested for each carrying 109 capsules (2.5kg) and 128 pills (2.3kg). They had requested that their flight itinerary be changed, raising police suspicions even further.

“All suspects were taking the same flight route from Brazil to Nigeria stopping at Abu Dhabi to transit. They all tried to change their flight plans after they suspected that police forces were on their trail and they confessed to their attempts after getting caught and tested for drug possession,” said Colonel Dr Rashid Mohammad Borshid, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department at Abu Dhabi Police.

In a bid to deliver the narcotics for large sums of money, the men allegedly had stashed the pills in their stomachs for over 24 hours, thereby placing their lives at risk, the official revealed.

“This is a great risk that they took because doing so may lead to poisoning or even death in case one of the pills exploded inside their stomachs,” he added.