No way

Dubai Customs has announced this year's largest drug seizure from a single trafficker by foiling a Dubai-bound passenger’s bid to smuggle in around 1kg haul of heroin in his stomach at Dubai International Airport – Terminal 2.

The disenchanted trafficker, of Asian nationality, risked his life trying to hide 78 plastic-wrapped heroin packets in his guts.

Falah Khalil Al Sammak, manager of passenger customs operations at DXB Terminal 2, described the incident as the largest drug seizure ever recovered from a single trafficker’s intestines this year.

"Dubai Customs inspectors became suspicious of the passenger when he walked past passport control area into customs inspection zone, because he looked unnaturally frantic and anxious," he said.

His luggage was manually searched and scanned, but nothing unusual was found. So X-rays were carried out on his abdomen which detected a quantity of strange objects inside.

"When asked about the nature of those objects, the suspect confessed to having swallowed packets stuffed with narcotics," added Al Sammak.

The passenger left the inspectors baffled by claiming he swallowed the packets without even being aware of their content or number: "I didn’t know what kind of drug they contained neither did I know how many they were."

The evacuated 78 packages were later found to be filled with around 1kg of pure heroin. Upon investigation, the smuggler admitted to receiving the narcotics at the departure airport from an Asian country. He said he was supposed to hand over the drugs to another person in exchange for money.

Accordingly, the passenger, seizure investigation report and the seized items were delivered to Dubai Police for further legal action.

Al Sammak pointed out that during 2015 three intestinal drug smuggle attempts with varying quantities were thwarted at Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport.

He added: "Despite traffickers’ using increasingly devious and adaptive tricks, the high alertness and security expertise of Dubai Customs inspectors kept the smugglers from getting their way."

The head of Terminal 2 passenger customs operations stressed Dubai Customs’ commitment to continually uplift its inspection measures to maintain the safety and security of society while easing the flow of inbound travellers through Dubai airports. –End-

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