Three separate drug-smuggling attempts stopped by Abu Dhabi customs

Large amounts of heroin and cannabis seized at Saudi border and a man is held at Abu Dhabi airport.

ABU DHABI // Customs officials in the capital have foiled three major drug-smuggling attempts.

The first two involved inspectors stopping two lorries at the exit point of Al Ghuwaifat Customs Post, which borders Saudi Arabia.

Inspectors scanned the first vehicle using X-ray equipment and found a “high-density substance” in the cabinet behind the radio.

It was later discovered to be 372 heroin capsules, weighing 3.8kg.

The second vehicle was searched and inspectors discovered a “strange substance professionally hidden behind the driver’s seat”. The substance was later found to be a stash of cannabis, weighing 973.4g.

In the third incident, inspectors at Abu Dhabi International Airport searched an Asian man travelling from an undisclosed South American country.

He was found to be carrying 3.8kg of undisclosed narcotics, inside four plastic bags that were hidden in his luggage.

“The general directorate of customs in Abu Dhabi continues to play an important and vital role in maintaining security in the UAE and ensuring the safety of its residents,” said Mohammed Khadim Al Hameli, acting director general of the General Directorate of Customs.

“The directorate’s staff are considered to be our first line of defence and are vital to maintaining the safety within the UAE through its land, sea and air ports.”