Narcotic pills worth Dh500m seized by Dubai Customs

Dubai - The shipment that was headed for an Asian country from the UAE was detected by DC inspectors with its Risk Engine system, a senior official said.

The Dubai Customs (DC) has foiled a bid to smuggle 35 million tramadol pills and 2.5 tonnes of powdered tramadol, worth over Dh500 million, at Jebel Ali Port.
The shipment that was headed for an Asian country from the UAE was detected by DC inspectors with its Risk Engine system, a senior official said.
Yousuf Al Hashemi, Director of Jebel Ali Customs Centre, said the suspect packed powdered tramadol in bags inside 100 barrels. The pills were concealed in 140 boxes.
The seizure is one of the biggest of controlled medicines by the DC in 2015, he said. "The agent of the importing company was referred to the anti-narcotics department of the Dubai Police for further investigation."
The declaration form of the consignment stated that it contained medical products and equipment.
Talal Al Abdooli, Director of Customs Intelligence Department, said the consignment was tracked by customs intelligence based on the criminal history of the importer.
The importer had earlier tried to smuggle tramadol via Dubai Cargo Village. "The data collected and analysed by the Risk Engine aroused the customs inspectors' suspicion that the consignee was going to receive another suspicious shipment. It was tracked down until its arrival at the port of Jebel Ali, where it was seized."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com