Dubai Customs reveals 1,273 drug seizures at border crossings

On the occasion of the World Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is celebrated on 26 June each year, Dubai Customs revealed that 1,273 drug cases were seized at the border crossings of the Emirate of Dubai (land, sea, air and maritime). The seized drugs included Tramadol tablets, Captagon and … opium, heroin, cannabis seeds, cannabis herb, restricted narcotic drugs and other narcotic drugs. Dubai Customs is stepping up its efforts to combat all forms of smuggling, especially narcotic drugs. Through its customs crossings, it is committed to protecting society and the national economy from its negative impact by combating smuggling activities.

Port Security
Mansour Al Malik, Executive Director of the Policy and Legislation Department at Dubai Customs, confirmed that the department has made the protection of society from narcotic drugs and contraband a top priority and that its Five-Year Plan 2021-2026 includes a major strategic objective. In view of the increasing risks and believing that drugs pose a serious threat to the safety and health of individuals and society, the department attaches great importance to this mission. To fully cooperate with strategic partners in security authorities in a way that supports the achievement of the Dubai Border Security Committee’s objectives and the ongoing development of operations aimed at enhancing the emirate’s security capabilities to protect border crossings, and to thwart any drug smuggling attempts. To implement the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God bless him, aimed at improving the performance of government agencies related to regulating border crossings, enabling them to perform at the highest level and ensure their competitiveness at the regional and international levels.

International Model
Rashid Al Dabbah Al Suwaidi, Director (Chair) of the Maritime Customs Central Department, confirmed that the Emirate of Dubai has become an international model in dealing with narcotic drugs and their risks and health hazards, and Dubai Customs is actively participating in these efforts to develop its human resources, especially the capabilities of customs officers, in accordance with the best standards of customs inspection, in order for the emirate to maintain its position as a global trade hub and the safest city in the world, he pointed out that Dubai Customs has made 3,735 drug seizures in the past year, of which 1,273 were seized, and we are proud of the department’s 100% seizure rate. Great efforts are being made to speed up customs formalities for commercial goods to enhance Dubai’s key role in global trade, while we are determined to combat all means of smuggling contraband.

Inspector efficiency
Ibrahim Al Kamali, Director of the Passenger Operations Department, said: “Dubai Customs is keen to keep pace with global developments in inspection and screening equipment as the department has equipped its customs centres with the latest equipment to support inspection operations, including visceral inspection equipment. The department is very focused on improving the efficiency of customs inspectors through training courses to equip them with the best scientific and practical skills to enable them to detect and respond to attempts to smuggle narcotic drugs as airport inspectors. “Combining the advanced capabilities to detect attempts to smuggle prohibited substances through inspection and monitoring of advanced screening equipment at airports, in addition to having great skills and the ability to read people’s body language and new ways to conceal them in luggage, the staff of the Passenger Operations Department performs their job tasks in the best possible way, facilitating the movement of passengers on the one hand and catching smugglers on the other.”

Leading detection system
Engineer Adel Al Suwaidi, Director of Technical Support, said: “Dubai Customs uses a comprehensive range of procedures and technologies to respond to all smuggling attempts, starting with ‘early warning’ technology represented by the Risk Engine system to diagnose all suspicious goods in advance, all the way through various means of inspection, whether it is manual inspection or double inspection and accelerated procedures, supporting the flow of commerce and trade and strengthening Jebel Ali Port’s position as one of the largest and most important ports in the Middle East. The equipment reduces the inspection time from about 6 hours manually to just 5 minutes.”

Transnational Crime
Mohammed Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Senior Director of Intelligence Operations at Dubai Customs, confirmed that as part of the department’s efforts to combat cross-border organized crime, Dubai Customs has helped many customs authorities in countries around the world to thwart drug smuggling attempts, and international customs authorities have praised Dubai Customs for its important role in reducing global drug smuggling and its ability to address customs risks at local and global levels to limit smuggling activities and the harm it causes to communities and youth. Dubai Customs assisted an Asian country in seizing up to 700 kilograms of methamphetamine powder, “The drug was worth approximately $310 million. It was stacked in pallets on a cargo ship. The cargo ship and drug materials were seized.” The seizure is believed to be the second largest drug quantity seized in the country. “

Fence system
“Siaj” is an BroadCast Unitedligent integrated security system that monitors the customs ports of the Emirate of Dubai. The program relies on modern technologies such as artificial BroadCast Unitedligence, binocular technology, drones, environmentally friendly electric vehicles, and unique equipment to detect prohibited and dangerous materials. In addition to the K9 customs canine unit, it also relies on manpower 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support targeting and on-site inspection operations within the customs park. The UAE and the Emirate of Dubai support stability and protect society from safety and health risks by monitoring the flow of goods and cargo and strengthening the global supply chain in the Emirate of Dubai, in addition to promoting business operations and supporting global supply chains. “Siaj” is at the forefront of legal trade and relies on multiple interconnected units to perform its tasks, such as advanced technological system units, a central database that is regularly fed, inspection and testing equipment, and high-quality cameras covering all parts of the customs port park, sensors and radars to control the process of cargo movement for analysis and suspicion processes, and ships equipped with advanced systems that are able to monitor and track ships before they enter the port as a proactive measure to report any risks that the ships can carry.

The most significant epileptic seizure
In a qualitative operation called “Cockpit”, Dubai Customs successfully blocked the smuggling of 234.68 kg of narcotic cannabis and prevented it from entering the UAE. The details of the incident were due to the suspicion of a wooden boat heading to Al Khor Customs Center and Deira Port. With the accumulated experience and skills of Dubai Customs inspectors, the ship was subjected to a careful inspection process, in which the “endoscope” technology was used, which is a special device for inspecting narrow. It is able to provide high-quality images in darkness to detect contraband, discovering hidden narcotic substances in the cockpit of the ship in a new and professional way.