Dubai Customs foils over 2,600 drug smuggling attempts in 3 years

Dubai Customs officers thwarted 2,604 attempts to smuggle narcotics into the emirate over three years.

Releasing the stats on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on June 26 each year, Dubai Customs said 829 drug seizures were carried out in 2020, 941 in 2021 and 834 in 2022.

Marijuana, Captagon tablets and powder were the drugs most commonly seized during this time.

Noteworthy among these is a seizure at the airport, where 36.76 kg of marijuana was intercepted. Another 75,000 Captagon tablets were seized at the land border crossing.

The officers also seized 3 million Captagon tablets and 1.5 tonnes of Captagon powder during another major raid. 

Officers also highlighted "Operation Sul", where over 1.59 million Captagon tablets hidden within the hulls of two wooden vessels were seized following an intense inspection by their unit and Customs K9 Unit.

Dubai Customs has also invested in training its workforce to the highest inspection standards and introduced a state-of-the-art scanning system at Jebel Ali Customs Centre and TECOM. Using high-resolution imaging, recording and storage capabilities, a 360-degree imaging range, and a control range of up to 30 meters, the system significantly strengthens its overall inspection framework. 

The agency emphasised their commitment to combat drug trafficking regionally and globally, while prioritising social safety and protecting the community against the dangers of illegal substances.