Dubai: More than six kilos of heroin and 46g of opium were found in an Asian man’s luggage at Terminal 2.
Dubai Customs arrested the man after they became suspicious of him at passport control.
“We found the heroin after we manually searched his bags,” Falah Khalil Al Samak, Director of Dubai International Terminal 2 Passenger Operations Department, said. “He had hidden it in secret pockets stitched inside his luggage. We also uncovered a dark substance, which was later found to be opium.”
Authorities said that the Asian man admitted to attempting to smuggle the narcotics.
“The case report, the seized items, the passenger and his statements were handed over to the Dubai General Department of Anti-Narcotics for further investigations and necessary legal action,” Al Samak said.
Dubai Customs said that there have been 25 heroin seizures, with a total weight of 60kg, in the last nine months across all three terminals at Dubai airport.
“The flagship seizure was in deterring the smuggling attempt of 24kg of pure heroin hidden inside concealed pockets in five travel bags of an Asian UAE resident returning to Dubai,” Al Samak said.
He said that Dubai Customs is keen to ensure inspectors are equipped with first-hand experience and up-to-date knowledge to enable them to grasp the ever-changing tricks of smugglers. Specialised courses are carried out for inspectors on drug types, smuggling techniques and decoding body language, among other expert training. These courses help inspectors perform their duties and achieve the vision, mission and corporate values of Dubai Customs.
