Man held after swallowing heroin worth Dh2.6 million

Dubai Customs has recently foiled an Asian passenger’s bid to smuggle 90 capsules of heroin, weighing 858 gram with a black market value of around Dh2.6 million.

The smuggler was caught carrying the illegal contraband in his gut at the Dubai International Airport, Terminal-1.

Ali Al Mugahwi, Director of Airport Operations at Dubai Customs, said that the customs inspectors grew suspicious of the passenger who was trying to hide among crowds, so he was stopped and his bags put through the X-ray machine as a precautionary measure.

“Having found nothing in the passenger’s bags following scan and manual search, he was admitted to the guts inspection room where abnormal objects showed up inside his stomach,” Al Mugahwi said.

The man was shifted to the Airport Operations Passenger Investigation Office where he admitted to attempts of trying to smuggle 90 capsules of heroin in his intestines.

The suspect and the seizure report were then referred to the Dubai Police Anti-Narcotics Department for necessary action: “The passenger was immediately admitted to a hospital to extract the pure heroin capsules,” Al Mugahwi said.

In May, October, November and December of 2012, Dubai Customs foiled four separate attempts to smuggle around 9kg of heroin worth approximately Dh27 million at the Dubai International Airport and Dubai Cargo Village.

The most common smuggling method saw passengers stuff the drugs in capsules before concealing them in their guts.

Late in November 2011, the Dubai Police foiled a plot to smuggle 130kg of heroin, with an estimated street value of Dh65 million, in wooden pallets through Jebel Ali Port. The illegal contraband was on its way to Europe.

Al Mugahwi told Khaleej Times that 1gram of heroin can cost up to Dh3,000, and is mostly abused by either injecting, snorting/sniffing or smoking: “Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, spanning fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, and infectious diseases, like AIDS and hepatitis.” “Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection to the heart lining and valves, abscesses, and liver or kidney disease, and pulmonary complications,” he added.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com