Drug smuggler who swallowed kilo of cocaine worth Dh5 million arrested at Abu Dhabi airport

Passenger had arrived on a plane from South America

Authorities said a man was found with 89 capsules of cocaine in his intestines at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. Photo: The National

A traveller attempted to smuggle 1.2kg of cocaine valued at Dh5 million hidden in his intestines into Abu Dhabi, authorities said on Sunday.

Customs officers at the capital's Zayed International Airport allegedly found 89 capsules of the class A drug in the body of the man after he was subjected to advanced screenings due to suspicions over his behaviour.

The General Directorate of Ports at the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security said the smuggling bid took place at the airport on Friday.

The traveller had flown into the UAE from an undisclosed South American country.

"He was subjected to advanced screening equipment, which revealed indications of foreign objects inside his body," said the authority.

"He was then referred to the competent authorities, who extracted the 89 capsules from his intestines."

UAE authorities have pledged to use the latest cutting-edge technology and detection methods as part of a zero tolerance approach to the fight against drugs.

In March, Abu Dhabi Police seized 184 kilogrammes of hashish from two Asian suspects, during an operation codenamed Secret Hideouts.

The pair were members of a criminal network, led by a person based outside the UAE, who used international telephone numbers to send unsolicited messages, said Brig Taher Gharib Al Dhaheri, director of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate in the Criminal Security Sector of Abu Dhabi Police.

The two were found in possession of narcotics, concealed inside marble cylinders, state news agency Wam reported at the time.