Dubai Customs discover 37kg of marijuana in passenger's luggage

Officers grew suspicious when X-ray showed contents of bags were unusually dense

The suspect held at Dubai International Airport, with the 37kg of marijuana discovered by Customs officers in his luggage. Photo: Dubai Customs

Customs officers at Dubai International Airport have seized almost 37kg of marijuana discovered in the luggage of a passenger entering the emirate.

Inspectors became suspicious of the African traveller after X-raying his luggage and noticing irregularities in the density of the contents

The two bags were then manually searched in front of the passenger.

It was not revealed when the incident took place.

Officers found black plastic bags which when opened were found to contain food — often used to mask the scent of drugs — and marijuana.

The first bag contained almost 17kg of the drug, while about 20kg was found inside the second.

Police were notified and the suspect was taken into custody, before being referred to prosecutors for further investigation.

“We are proud of doing our national duty as the first line of defence, to secure the borders and protect the society from the hazards of these illegitimate contrabands,” said Ibrahim Kamali, director of the passenger operations department at the airport.

He said smugglers employ an array of strategies, such as hiding prohibited items inside food with strong smells — such as spices and dried fish — or carrying drugs inside their bodies.

“But our inspectors constantly join regular and intensive training to hone their skills in body language and methods of revealing the various concealment and camouflage,” said Mr Kamali.

Dubai Customs officers thwarted nearly 1,000 attempts to smuggle drugs into the emirate in the first four months of 2022, figures show.

Seized drugs from January to April included Captagon pills, crystal meth, heroin, opium and marijuana.

In June, officers caught a passenger trying to smuggle 5.9kg of marijuana hidden inside six bags of peanut paste.

Officials seized 5.6kg of cocaine from a woman who arrived in Dubai from Latin America, in March.

Some of the stash was found inside a secret pocket in the woman’s bag, while another 2.4kg of the drug was found in shampoo and moisturiser bottles, said officials.

Exotic animal smuggling on the rise: in pictures

The Wildlife Centre, just outside Mussaffah in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, is a refuge for endangered species that have been smuggled into the country and domesticated. Lee Hoagland / The National

Al Ain Zoo became the new home for cheetah cubs that were smuggled into Dubai in 2010. Ten of the 15 died. Sammy Dallal / The National

This bird was greeted each day by its care giver with the phrase 'Asalam Alaikum'. It now repeats the Muslim greeting. Lee Hoagland / The National

Ball Python eggs are popular with animal traffickers and smugglers. EPA

A surprising number of snakes are smuggled in and out of countries each year. EPA

In Thailand, animal lovers are able to meet exotic beasts such as lions, frogs, birds and snakes at a yearly event. EPA

A member of the Cheetah Conservation Fund feeds a baby cheetah. AFP

Every year an estimated 300 cheetah cubs are trafficked through Somaliland to wealthy buyers seeking exotic pets. AFP

Cheetah cubs that survive being snatched from their mothers, and shipped out of Africa to wartorn Yemen and onwards to the Gulf can fetch up to $15,000 on the black market. AFP

India has reported a surge in the smuggling of exotic birds including cockatoos and macaws, as well as other rare species such as tortoises, civets and snakes from South-East Asian countries. All remaining photos: Indian Police

Wildlife experts say the reason for the sharp increase in smuggling is the high demand for rare animals as pets.

Combined with major legal loopholes, this has driven up the illegal trade in India.

Smugglers usually use land routes along India's north-eastern region that borders Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh, but many fly the animals into country, with airport authorities thwarting many attempts.

There is no legislation in the country's Wildlife Act that covers their arrest or prosecution for possessing and smuggling exotic animals and birds.

Most of the arrests are made under India’s criminal law.