Painkiller, smuggled cigarettes among 348 seizures made by customs

Dubai

The Jebel Ali Customs centre made 348 seizures of restricted, fake and prohibited items in 2016, up 24 per cent from the year before.

The centre, which has seven inspections units, inspected 237,716 containers and carried out 605,000 customs transactions last year.

Inspectors seized more than 700,000 tramadol painkiller pills, and unspecified quantities of Naswar tobacco — a banned form of snuff popular in Iran and the subcontinent.

They also seized silica powder, smuggled cigarettes, fake goods, and endangered sandal wood “in coordination with local and global security authorities,” Jebel Ali Customs Centre said in a statement.

“Thanks to the use of the latest technologies and devices we performed much better compared to the previous years,” said Yousuf Al Hashemi, the centre’s director.

He also credited the online declaration and clearing system Mirsal 2 for the smoother service.

The new system allows clients to fill out customs applications online, without the need of personal assistance.

“The inclusion of sophisticated inspection tools has raised commitment and performance levels in Jebel Ali from 42 per cent in 2010 to 91.7 per cent in 2013,” Hashemi added.

“In 2016, client satisfaction went up to 87%, and employee satisfaction reached 88 per cent.”