Abu Dhabi
The General Administration of Customs-Abu Dhabi announced that inspectors at Al Ghweifat Customs Centre recently foiled an attempt to bring in 8,000 prescription stimulant drugs into the UAE and another attempt to smuggle 30,000 alcohol bottles out of the country through Ghweifat port.
During a routine inspection of buses entering the country through Al Ghuwaifat port, an Arab passenger was found in possession of a large quantity of pills hidden among his belongings. Further investigations revealed the 8,000 pillsto be stimulant drugs that can only be prescribed by a doctor.
In another incident, the Ghweifat border point security police section informed Ghweifat customs inspectors about a potential attempt to smuggle bottles of alcohol out of the UAE.
Customs inspectors became suspicious of a truck with a UAE licence plate which was leaving the country. During inspection, customs officials used scanning devices to identify the items in the boxes, which did not match the description of the type of goods in boxes labelled as apples. After unloading the cargo, 2,559 cardboard containers with 12 bottles of alcohol in each were identified.
Customs inspectors arrested the two suspects and the cases were referred to the concerned authorities to take necessary legal action.
Commenting on the two incidents, Mohammad Kadem Al Hameli, Acting Director General of the General Administration of Customs-Abu Dhabi, highlighted the strong level of cooperation between security services in supporting the customs inspectors’ role in dealing with criminal activities that affect the security of the UAE and the safety of its citizens and residents. Al Hameli said, “The General Administration of Customs seeks to implement the latest customs inspection procedures and systems to combat any attempt to smuggle contraband across land, sea and air ports.”
The General Administration of Customs-Abu Dhabi seeks to enhance the movement of passengers and goods by using the latest devices and detection equipment when inspecting trucks, vehicles, passengers, luggage and packages. This raises efficiency levels across all customs operations. The Ghweifat border post is considered the largest and most important land port in the UAE. Over 2.5 million vehicles entered and exited the country through the border in 2014.
