Dubai: Dubai Customs has foiled a bid to smuggle more than half a million tablets of the narcotic drug Tramadol in a shipment that was seized at Jebel Ali Port.
The seizure of the shipment that was coming from an Asian country and heading to an African country is considered a new success in confronting the dissemination of the drug which is prohibited from circulation outside medical use as it may expose users to unlimited health risks.
Ahmad Abdullah Bin Lahj, Director of Jebel Ali Customs Centres Department, explained that the smuggling attempt was made through a container that was said to consist of 326 boxes of restricted medicines, but was later found to contain more than half a million tablets of the prohibited drug Tramadol.
“The container was shipped on the basis of being a shipment of medicines as whole according to the information contained in the documents,” he said.
“Dubai Customs inspectors, however, suspected the shipment and hence the container when X-rayed was found to contain the prohibited drug Tramadol,” he added.
Bin Lahj pointed out that medicines and medical drugs have special cargo procedures as part of the conditions specified by the health authorities.
“Customs inspectors consistently examine shipments as part of a clear inspection operations methodology starting from validation of information contained in documents, having the shipment tracked upon arrival as well as the use of direct inspection procedures through Dubai Customs-approved modern techniques,” he said.
