Customs officers seize 12 fake European passports at Dubai airport

The fakes were found in a secret pocket of the man's luggage after officers became suspicious of his behaviour.

DUBAI // Twelve fake European passports have been seized at Dubai airport.

They were found in the luggage of an Asian passenger and were to be sold for US$500 (Dh1,836) each, Customs officers said on Wednesday.

Officers said they noticed signs of anxiety in the passenger who had travelled from his home country. They searched his luggage and found the passports in a secret pocket.

Ali Al Mugahwi, director of the airport operations department at Dubai Customs, said an inspector noticed the man when he arrived at Terminal 3.

“The inspector asked him if he was carrying anything that should be declared. The passenger said no,” Mr Al Mugahwi said.

“But the inspector could clearly see signs of restlessness and anxiety in his behaviour. So he started searching the bag only to discover that it had secret pockets, containing 12 passports issued from two European countries.”

The man was to deliver them to someone who would sell them for $500 each.

Mr Al Mugahwi said smugglers often try to fool inspectors but they are trained to be able to detect false papers of all kinds.