Dubai Customs arrest man smuggling 7 kilos of marijuana inside cereal bags

Dubai Customs on Thursday said they have arrested a man for attempting to smuggle seven kilograms of marijuana at the airport inside bags of cereal.

Authorities suspected the man was hiding something when they noticed dark substances in the cereal bags indicated the presence of prohibited items, according to an official statement.

The man, of Asian descent, was detained at Dubai International Airport and the narcotics were immediately seized, Dubai Customs said.

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He was then handed over to Dubai Police for further legal action.

#DubaiCustoms successfully intercepted an Asian traveler's attempt to smuggle 7.06 kilograms of illicit #marijuana through @DXB inside bags of a well-known cereal. The passenger and the seized narcotics were promptly handed over to @DubaiPoliceHQ for further legal action pic.twitter.com/rSq69xGLfg

— جمارك دبي | Dubai Customs (@DubaiCustoms) June 1, 2023

The UAE has a zero-tolerance policy for recreational use of drugs, according to the government.

As per the Federal Decree Law No. 30 of 2021, the UAE criminalizes production, import, export, transport, buying, selling, possessing, storing of narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Dubai Customs regularly uses highly innovative technology, such as floating drones, underwater robots, and predictive AI, to thwart criminal activity including drug smuggling.

Smugglers often attempt to outsmart customs inspectors, employing tactics such as body packing, hiding them within cosmetic products, cleverly integrating them into the sides and bottoms of bags, discreetly blending them with clothing items, camouflaging them amidst popular breakfast cereals, assorted spice packets, and even concealing them within seasonal fruits to enhance their covert nature, according to Khaled Ahmed, the Senior Manager of Passenger Operations Department at Terminal 1.

“Dubai Customs is actively intensifying its efforts to safeguard the community by combatting drug smuggling at Dubai's customs ports. Their ultimate goal is to protect the community, promote sustainable economic development, and adhere to a vision of secure and internationally leading customs practices,” the statement from Dubai Customs said.

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