Qatar: Customs seize 1,653kg of illegal tobacco products

Dubai: In yet another major haul of banned narcotic substances, Qatar’s General Authority of Customs (GAC), represented by the Maritime Customs Department, seized 1,653kg of ‘tambaku’ - a kind of chewing tobacco - at Hamad Port, local media reported yesterday.

According to a video tweeted today by the GAC, the banned substance was found stuffed in 1,102 bags hidden inside a shipment of cotton mattresses.

Earlier, on September 21, the Air Cargo Customs seized 27kg of tambaku found hidden inside a consignment of various foodstuffs. In August, GAC officials seized 2,152kg of the same substace hidden in a sugar shipment, at the Hamad Port. The banned tobacco was found stuffed in 1,435 bags.

The GAC wing at Hamad Port is equipped with the latest devices and the officers are trained to thwart smuggling attempts.